Before the 2016 NFL season started, the Dallas Cowboys looked like a veteran team fighting for a playoff spot. Long-time starters like Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, and Darren McFadden were the starters and were working to get the team ready for the season. Move ahead one year and two of those veterans have been replaced by second-year players Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. While Bryant and Witten are still starting as well, Dak has taken steps to prove this is his team now.
Dak Prescott taking control in Cowboys OTAs
In 2016, Dak Prescott was a rookie from Mississippi State.
Some fans assumed he would be another in a long line of backup quarterbacks to Tony Romo who would rarely ever play. However, by the end of the season, Dak won the starting quarterback job with the Dallas Cowboys and Tony Romo was forced to retire, stepping aside for the young superstar.
By the end of the season, Dak Prescott led the Dallas Cowboys to 13 wins and the best record in the NFC. The Cowboys finished the season in the playoffs and Prescott finished his rookie campaign with the third best quarterback rating in the NFL, behind only Super Bowl quarterbacks Tom Brady and Matt Ryan.
In 2016, Dak Prescott was learning the system and soaking up information from veterans around him, including Tony Romo.
Now, in the 2017 OTAs, Dak has become a vocal leader on the Dallas Cowboys offense. At a recent practice, rookie right end M.J. McFarland heard someone yelling instructions at him. It was Prescott.
The maturation of Dak Prescott
According to Dak Prescott, it was all about becoming more outspoken. Dak said this is how he has always been but now people are actually paying attention to him.
He said last year he was quiet, learning,, and this year the Dallas Cowboys need him to step into his role as the offensive team leader.
Now 23-years-old, Prescott said that he can now be 100-percent better in all areas of his gameplay. Instead of just enjoying his new life as an NFL superstar after his rookie year, Dak went to Florida and worked on his passing game.
Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson said that Prescott is not resting on what made him successful in 2016.
According to head coach Jason Garrett, he sees that Dak Prescott is doing everything he can to get ready for any obstacle he faces in his sophomore season with the Dallas Cowboys. Garrett said that other players will follow Dak and he is exactly what a coach wants from a player in the NFL.
