Dak Prescott had perfect reaction to Cowboys OL ending impossible injury streak
By Jerry Trotta
Any guesses as to when the Dallas Cowboys desired starting offensive line all started a game together? If you said last season, you'd be wrong. Incredibly, it last happened in the Jan. 2021 playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers, who Dallas happens to play this week in a monster early-season matchup.
That's had to take a toll on Dak Prescott, but the Cowboys quarterback will finally have his bandmates together for Sunday Night Football.
Barring any injury setbacks, Dallas will have its best five linemen starting against the 49ers: Tyron Smith at left tackle, Tyler Smith at left guard, Tyler Biadasz at center, Zack Martin at right guard and Terence Steele at right tackle.
It's still early in the week, though, so any and all apprehension is understandable. At the same time, though, any and all celebrations are welcome. The timing couldn't be better and it should give the team a needed spark before Sunday.
Despite that, Prescott falls on the apprehension side of the pendulum. The QB had a perfect reaction to Thursday's big news.
Dak Prescott: “I felt like last time we talked about it something happened. I’d rather just get to the game and we can talk about it after.” https://t.co/jvngil4IM4
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 5, 2023
Dak Prescott isn't jinxing anything now that the Cowboys offensive line is fully healthy again.
Way to be a party pooper, Dak.
In all seriousness, fans can understand why Prescott doesn't want to jinx anything. It's been a whopping 21 months since the Cowboys last fielded a fully healthy offensive line. The group hasn't started together since Tyler Smith was drafted in 2022.
Last year, Smith never had a chance to develop at left guard, as Tyron Smith tore his hamstring before the regular season. The younger Smith kicked out to left tackle, where he played 1,022 snaps compared to 121 at left guard, per Pro Football Focus.
Though Tyron Smith returned late last season, right tackle Terence Steele had already suffered a torn ACL and was done for the year. That forced Tyron to start at right tackle with Tyler sticking at left tackle and that remained the case until the Cowboys were eliminated in the playoffs by the 49ers.
Cowboys LT Tyron Smith and RG Zack Martin were both full participants in their practice return today. It appears to be finally happening for the starting O-line in Dallas. “This week is the week, man. People have been waiting." https://t.co/7XVRo2lyPa
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) October 5, 2023
This season has been much of the same, though the Cowboys have been fortunate to avoid a devastating injury to the line. Tyler Smith missed the first two games with a hamstring injury. Just as he returned to the lineup, Tyron Smith (knee), Zack Martin (ankle) and center Tyler Biadasz (hamstring) all missed Week 3.
While Martin and Biadasz returned for the Cowboys' thumping of the Patriots in Week 4, Tyron Smith remained sidelined.
That ALL changes this week, barring any setbacks. Celebrate on your own terms, but after laying out the sheer turnover Dallas' OL has experienced over the last year and a half, we tend to side with Prescott. Let's just get to Sunday.
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