Cowboys news: Dak Prescott’s shoulder injury could keep him out of training camp for a few weeks

The news you may have missed from Wednesday.

Dak Prescott (shoulder) could miss a couple of weeks — raising concerns for Cowboys’ backup QBs – David Moore, DMN

It’s not his ankle, but Dak Prescott could miss some time with his shoulder problem.

Prescott took the field for Wednesday’s practice but left without taking part in team drills. Three hours after practice was done, the club provided an update stating an MRI showed that the quarterback had a muscle strain in his right shoulder.

Sources said Prescott suffered a latissimus strain, the muscle that connects the bone of the upper arm to the spine and the hip. A mild or Grade 1 strain — which this is believed to be — typically requires a couple of weeks to heal.

“I felt some soreness when making certain throws today, and I really just decided not to push things too far,’’ Prescott said in a statement. “Better to be cautious and smart about it.

“I don’t see this as any kind of serious setback. We’ll treat it on a daily basis and I’ll be fine.’’

Downplaying the significance of the injury was consistent across the organization. Prescott still sat down for interviews with TV stations from the DFW market that had been previously scheduled, even though they were pushed back four hours to accommodate his MRI and treatment.

But face it. Nothing sucks the air out of the first padded practice like watching your starting quarterback jog off the field before team drills are underway. The energy level immediately dropped.

3 players the Dallas Cowboys could trade for Xavien Howard – Steven Mullenax, FanSided’s The Landry Hat

It likely won’t happen, but cornerback Xavien Howard would be a huge upgrade to the defense.

If the Miami Dolphins do elect to trade away their Pro Bowl cornerback in Xavien Howard, it only makes sense that they may want a quality defensive back in return. And out of all the options the Cowboys have to offer, perhaps rookie Kelvin Joseph makes the most sense.

Now, the Cowboys just drafted the 21-year old corner in the second round out of Kentucky back in April. And most seem to agree Joseph possesses first-round level talent. If the Dolphins feel the same, perhaps Dallas could package him as part of a trade offer for Howard. If the Cowboys were somehow able to trade for Howard, he’d ideally play opposite Trevon Diggs, who is entering a very promising sophomore season in Dallas. That would leave veterans Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis to man the slot and third-round rookie Nahshon Wright to develop for a future role.

In exchange, the Dolphins get a potential starter on a rookie deal in return to pair with former Cowboy Pro Bowler Byron Jones. Although Miami may prefer someone like Diggs instead.

Scout’s Take: Defense Moving In Right Direction – Bucky Brooks, DallasCowboys.com

The defense seems to have made some progress early on in camp.

Who is the man in the middle? For all of the attention paid to the WR corps due to the star power of their perimeter playmakers, the biggest question mark on the offense is the tight end position. Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz are not household names but the “Y” could have a significant impact on the passing game when the season starts. Last season, Schultz seized control of position following Jarwin’s injury. The Stanford product tallied 63 receptions and four touchdowns as an underrated chain mover in the passing game. As a reliable target between the hashes with crafty moves as a route runner, Schultz emerged as a valuable third down/red zone weapon and trusted playmaker at the TE1.

Jarwin returns from an ACL that prematurely ended his season in Week 1 before the Cowboys could tap into his talents as an athletic playmaker between the hashes. The fifth-year pro was expected to break out in 2020 following back-to-back seasons with 300-plus receiving yards and three touchdowns. As a polished and patient route runner with soft hands, Jarwin is the perfect underneath threat to utilize in a lineup that is bursting with star power.

That said, the Cowboys are at their best with a three-receiver lineup that features only one tight end on the field. With Schultz coming off of a strong season, Jarwin will need to show the coaches that he remains a viable option over the middle to crack the rotation and force McCarthy to expand the playbook to feature more two tight-end sets.

1 Trade Each NFL Team Should Offer Before the 2021 Season Starts – Brent Sobleski, BleacherReport.com

You never can have too much talent on the defensive line.

Propose trade for Atlanta Falcons DT Deadrin Senat.

Deadrin Senat wasn’t drafted to play in a Dean Pees-led defense. Pees prefers bigger and more physical defensive linemen capable of holding the point of attack. Senat is more of a disruptive option, though he’s nowhere near the level of teammate Grady Jarrett. Steven Means, John Cominsky, Marlon Davidson and Tyeler Davison are much better fits alongside Jarrett. Senat may not have a roster spot, especially with the addition of fifth-round rookie Ta’Quon Graham.

Senat’s overall usage significantly declined after his rookie campaign, mainly due to injuries. But the Falcons originally drafted him in the third round to play for Dan Quinn, who now serves as the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator. The Cowboys need added help along their defensive interior, too.

Garrett Gilbert is Clearly QB2 Based on Early Cowboys Camp Reports – Jess Haynie, Inside The Star

It sure seems like the Cowboys are comfortable with Garrett Gilbert as their backup quarterback.

But it’s been well established now through recent camp reports that there’s a clear pecking order among the passers. Garrett appears to have been exclusively receiving the 2nd-team reps while DiNucci and Rush are vying for opportunities at the lower half of the depth chart. Dallas’ confidence in Gilbert was enough that they didn’t sign any more-experienced quarterback during the offseason. Even though free agents like Jeff Driskel and Brett Hundley (a former McCarthy player, no less) came in for visits, the Cowboys have ultimately trusted that someone from their current group would be a sufficient backup for 2021.

Given the treatment he’s received so far in camp, that trust seems to have a lot to do with Garrett Gilbert.

Dalton Schultz isn’t giving up TE1 duties easily – Matthew Lenix, Cowboys Wire

After a nice start to camp, Dalton Schultz is giving Blake Jarwin a run for his money at the TE1 spot.

The more time a player spends on the field the more confident they become, seeing as experience is the best teacher. After just 417 snaps in his first two seasons, Schultz logged 973 in 2020 while registering 14 starts. Although it gave his confidence a boost, he’s never lacked in that area.

“It definitely helps with my confidence,” Schultz said back in May. “But I say that, and I had a lot of confidence going into last year before any of those catches in those games happened. If anything, I just think it kind of springboarded my confidence in myself and continued to lead me to focus even more on my techniques and hone in on that work with Dak [Prescott] and getting the little nuances down in certain coverages and different routes. So I think it opened the door to a whole new level of preparation, and I’m excited to continue to go forth in my preparation this year.”

The former Stanford Cardinal has ridden the wave of momentum from his breakout campaign into Oxnard, California where the Cowboys are holding their first leg of training camp. Schultz has been making plays left and right, and he’s made the competition for TE1 duties that much more intriguing as Jarwin looks to regain his spot at the head of the table

ICYMI:Recap Cowboys training camp practice #5 Oxnard (tweets + videos), Dak Prescott dealing with muscle pull (arm) – Dave Halprin, Blogging The Boys

A full recap of training camp practice #5.

This is an important practice for the Dallas Cowboys. It is the first time that the team will wear pads since they started training camp in Oxnard. The intensity is sure to go up and we’ll get to find out a little more about some positions, especially the offensive and defensive lines.

As noted previously, Michael Gallup will be sitting today’s practice out.

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