Dallas Cowboys: Three biggest training camp questions

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Will the real Dak Prescott please stand up?

As a quarterback in the NFL, you get too much credit when you play well. Such was life for Prescott as a rookie when he came out of nowhere in 2016. His initial ceiling was to battle for a backup job during his first training camp.

All that changed three games into the preseason when Tony Romo took the final hit of his career.

All Prescott did as a rookie was lead the Dallas Cowboys to 13 wins while performing the most important task as a quarterback. Protecting the football. Taking every snap for Dallas in 2016, Prescott turned the ball over just eight times.

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When you take into account that he was responsible for 29 total touchdowns, it was easy to see why fans and the organization alike became excited about his future.

Last season, however, was at minimum a snap back to reality.

Was Prescott’s 2017 as horrible as some would have you believe? No.

It was not that great either, which is the flip side of being a quarterback in the NFL. The criticism is just as sharp as the praise.

Last year, Prescott doubled his turnovers from eight to 16, with one less total touchdown. The completion was down 5%. The yards were less and his sacks were up.

So, which Dak Prescott will the Cowboys see in 2018?

Heading into training camp, Prescott will have the luxury of know that Ezekiel Elliott should play an entire season. The drama and reality of his suspension and the six games he missed last year did no one on the offense any favors.

He should also have an improved defense to rely upon. That should help alleviate any feelings of having to do too much in order to produce wins.

What he won’t have, as previously mentioned, is star power at receiver or tight end. The organization has tried to spin the departures as a good thing as it will limit how much Dak locks on to a specific target. We shall see.

Dallas can be a formidable opponent and Super Bowl contender with slightly above average play at receiver. They cannot do so with slightly above average play from their quarterback.

Speaking of aspirations, that leads us to our final question…

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