Mike Zimmer's defense is already giving Dak Prescott fits at Cowboys camp

There's something to be said that Dak Prescott is practicing in full capacity at training camp even though he's in the final year of his contract. Nobody would fault Prescott if he followed the lead of teammate CeeDee Lamb and refused to practice until he signs a new deal.

That would certainly light a fire under the Dallas Cowboys to ramp up negotiations, but there sadly isn't anything that can incentivize this front office. After all, they couldn't be bothered to upgrade the roster after arguably the worst playoff loss in franchise history.

It can be argued that the biggest upgrade the Cowboys made this offseason was at defensive coordinator when they hired Mike Zimmer to replace Dan Quinn. Fans are ecstatic to see how Zimmer's defense differs from his predecessor. There will undoubtedly be an acclimation period that may linger into the regular season, but the defense is off to a scalding hot start in Oxnard.

Prescott struggled mightily in team drills on Friday. He threw multiple interceptions, including this exceptional play from DaRon Bland, who looks primed for another great season after he set the NFL's pick-six record in 2023.

Dak Prescott having a tough time against Mike Zimmer at Cowboys training camp

What a play from Bland. Quarterbacks should think twice about throwing his way after he picked off an NFL high nine passes last year.

Jourdan Lewis was next to join the interception party. Lewis climbed the latter and executed some nifty footwork near the sideline to intercept Prescott in a two-minute drill. Entering his eighth season with the Cowboys after he re-signed on a one-year deal in March, Lewis figures to be among the biggest beneficiaries of Zimmer's arrival. He is the perfect nickel cornerback for Zimmer's system.

It is clear Prescott wasn't seeing the field right on Friday. That's likely due to a combination of Zimmer's scheme and Prescott not having top target CeeDee Lamb. This was only the second practice of camp, but it's a highly promising start to Zimmer's tenure regardless.

It's worth noting that Prescott bounced back admirably to close practice. After Bland's pick, he led the offense to a field goal on the ensuing possession during two-minute drills. The drive include three straight completions to Brandin Cooks, per ESPN's Todd Archer. Prescott's connection with Jalen Tolbert is also among the biggest takeaways to start camp.

With that said, it's hard to watch these turnovers and not be excited about Zimmer. Fans shouldn't expect the defense to intercept passes left and right, but if the change in scheme and personnel groupings is confusing one of the most intelligent QBs in the game in Prescott, odds are it will have a domino effect on other gunslingers.

The latest from Cowboys training camp