Cowboys QB Dak Prescott’s advice to rookies: ‘Don’t take anything for granted’
Prescott also stressed the value of counting “small victories.”
The Cowboys look to build their first winning streak of the season Tuesday at the Baltimore Ravens.
Their injured quarterback is already on one.
In a roundtable interview that NFL Media posted Thursday, Dak Prescott shared his approach to dealing with the ankle injury he suffered Oct. 11 against the New York Giants. His comments came in a discussion structured to provide advice to rookies.
The NFL Network’s Steve Wyche guided the video-call conversation.
Giants veteran running back Saquon Barkley, Cowboys rookie cornerback Trevon Diggs, Kansas City Chiefs rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver Chase Claypool also participated.
Prescott told the rookies not to take “anything for granted.”
“To be that guy that’s injured for the first time in my career and missing the rest of the season, it’s different,” Prescott said. “It’s tough. But for me, as I talk about the mental capacity, for me it’s about creating and making small victories. So each and every day, when I wake up and I go in for rehab, it’s about seeing my leg or seeing my body do something that it didn’t do the day before or creating a feeling that I didn’t have the day before, so I know that I’m continuing to get better.
“At the end of the day, I know my team needs me. I know that they need me now for support, but they’ll need me again later. So it’s about helping them whichever way that I can and however I can. It’s about being right mentally and counting those small victories.”
Prescott has racked up wins.
He is considered ahead of schedule in his return from a fractured and dislocated right ankle, team officials have said. The Cowboys expect him to be physically ready to join them in May, if not April, during their spring workout program.
It’s not a given that he does.
Attendance is voluntary. If Prescott and the Cowboys have not reached a long-term contract extension at that point, he might opt out of those workouts. Prescott is expected to receive a $37.69 million franchise tag in March should no extension be reached.