Dak Prescott sparked much division when a photograph of him wearing a walking boot while on vacation in Cabo San Lucas became viral. On one end, NFL analysts like FS1’s LeSean McCoy don’t see it as a big deal. However, some media personalities, like Fox Sports Radio’s Ben Maller, raised a red flag regarding Prescott’s physical condition.
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Despite a source telling ESPN’s Todd Archer that Prescott isn’t using a walking boot anymore, Maller expressed on his eponymous program that seeing him wear one while on a leisure trip should be a cause of concern for the Dallas Cowboys.
“Dak Prescott, he can sugarcoat things all he wants. Regardless, though, I’m not buying what he’s selling. If you look at any medical journal, this is a textbook underlying health condition.”
Dak Prescott –
Notably had the Right ankle fracture/dislocation injury back in 2020.
Spotted here in a CAM boot on right footBest case: just a minor sprain with precautionary boot
Worst case: Achilles, Lisfranc
Feel like we would have been alerted of worst case by now https://t.co/Zkw7gxkpEV
— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) July 4, 2024
Maller thinks it’s a recurring injury since he dislocated his right ankle in Week 5 of the 2020 season. The condition required season-ending surgery, and his absence led Dallas to finish with a 6-10 slate.
While it’s unknown when he started dealing with that concern, the Cowboys’ last OTA occurred on June 5. Likewise, Prescott’s camp claims that the boot is more of a precaution to avoid further injuries and that he will be fully ready when the defending NFC East champions start their training camp on July 24 in Oxnard, California.
Despite those explanations, Maller still doesn’t buy the narrative regarding Dak Prescott. Instead, he believes the quarterback’s camp is hiding the real nature of his injury to avoid a stall in his contract negotiations. Prescott will play the 2024 season under the final year of the $160 million extension he signed in 2021.
Who Could Be the Cowboys’ Next Man Up if Dak Prescott Remains Injured?
Everyone following the NFL will keep an eye on Prescott’s status, especially when training camp starts. But if Maller is correct and the walking boot denotes a grave condition, the Cowboys must rally behind Trey Lance and Cooper Rush as starting quarterbacks.
While ESPN lists Lance over Rush in the team’s quarterback depth chart, the latter has more experience as a starter. He stepped up when Dak Prescott missed action during the 2022 regular season due to a thumb injury, winning four of his five starts and six of his nine games that year. One of his wins as a starter was against the Cincinnati Bengals, the AFC’s representative in Super Bowl LVI the previous season.
That impressive stretch prompted the Cowboys to sign Rush to a two-year, $6 million contract extension. If Prescott is unavailable, Rush could be due for another extension when he delivers impressive performances.
Conversely, the Cowboys surrendered a 2024 fourth-round pick in trading for Lance before the 2023 season. He’s more of a reclamation project who hasn’t lived up to the hype of being the third overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. The 49ers put immense pressure on him by trading four picks, including three first-rounders, to move up the draft board.
Since entering the league, Lance has started in only four games and played in eight. As Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush shared the snaps, Lance was a healthy scratch last year.
