What has Dak Prescott ‘super excited' about the Cowboys' offense?

New York Times

a day ago

FRISCO, Texas — Dak Prescott's next five weeks will be a little different than this period of time earlier in his 10-year NFL career. The Dallas Cowboys franchise quarterback now has a fiancee and two daughters. The time between the end of minicamp and the start of training camp in late July is the best time for a player to get away from football.
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But Prescott won't be getting too far.
'The main thing is the main thing,' he said. 'The family knows and makes sure that I work out, take care of my body, do the things necessary, so that's not going to change. After my training, after I do what I have to do, it'll be a lot of family time, a lot of time with the girls, traveling. A month, here, I'm very, very excited about and looking forward to.'
Dak Prescott when asked about leaving a legacy on the Cowboys franchise: 'I want to win a championship. The legacy and things and whatever comes after I finish playing will take care of itself. I want to win a championship. I'll be damned if it's just for my legacy or for this… pic.twitter.com/xI3qaNtZZg
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) June 12, 2025
The Cowboys wrapped their three-day minicamp at The Star on Thursday. The best news for Prescott is that he's healthy. He missed the final nine games last season because of a hamstring injury that needed to be surgically repaired.
'It's been a great offseason,' he said. 'It's going to continue to be a great offseason until we get to camp. Honestly, just the momentum, just staying healthy and the momentum of this minicamp, these OTAs and making sure that I'm not the only one who keeps that momentum, but the rest of the guys. And make sure some of these young guys are doing the things necessary and taking care of their bodies to hit the ground running when we get together in July.'
One of the ways Prescott will keep players involved is with his regular late June trip with several of the team's skill-position players. They'll work on the field but also spend time building stronger bonds.
'You can catch passes, but you want them catching them from you, catching them from the quarterbacks,' Prescott said. 'And then there's that camaraderie. Getting those guys together, getting George (Pickens) here in the last couple months. (We) know him, we're growing. But just getting to know him better, deeper. Getting to know all the guys, especially with a new receiver's coach, right? These guys are coming in trying to change little things and little nuances. That just gives them another time to work together, so (I'm) super excited about the trip.'
Pickens was Dallas' biggest offseason move. Even though players weren't in pads for minicamp, it's easy to see how dynamic the former Steelers wide receiver is, especially when lined up with All-Pro CeeDee Lamb.
There were some character concerns with Pickens in Pittsburgh, which impacted the May trade that saw Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick sent to Dallas in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
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Prescott hasn't seen any of those concerns.
'That's why I don't think you should ever really listen to what somebody else says about somebody,' he said. 'I think you should judge everyone— not judge, but find out for yourself who they are and allow them to reveal their character to you.
'The guy, he's been great, he's been phenomenal. He's a guy that loves football, loves his teammates. He's been excited every day that he's been here. He's been early. So, no concerns on the personal matters of GP and anything about it. Just super excited that he's on our team. He's one of us. He's a brother, and it's just about continuing to grow and make sure we're putting the best out there. That's his approach.'
Dak Prescott pic.twitter.com/BN80jSoWfS
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) June 10, 2025
Arguably, the best play from minicamp came near the end of Wednesday's practice when Prescott found tight end Jake Ferguson down the seam for a touchdown catch in coverage.
While there are questions about the running back position, which can't be answered in a minicamp setting, there should be no questions about the potential of the passing game. The combination of Lamb, Pickens, Ferguson, Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin and Jonathan Mingo gives Prescott an impressive arsenal of weapons that should cause plenty of problems for opposing defensive backs.
Pickens pointed out Wednesday that these are the fastest teammates he has played alongside since he was at the University of Georgia.
'The team speed applies to the scheme too,' he said. 'If you got a lot of fast guys, you're gonna definitely have a different scheme.'
This is the time of year when almost every NFL player and coach is going to be optimistic about the upcoming season. They've all made changes that they think will improve their team. Dallas is no different. Prescott has always been an optimist, so it will be no surprise if he feels good about the Cowboys when they begin training camp in late July.
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'I'm super excited,' he said. 'We've made some changes, personnel and the scheme, that will just come with it. I think (Brian Schottenheimer) has done a good job this minicamp of putting guys in the right places, putting guys in space and allowing guys to see how he's going to use them.'