Cowboys' Dak Prescott Discusses 'Small Victories' in Rehab from Ankle Injury

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said Thursday he's focused on "small victories" during his recovery from a season-ending ankle injury suffered in October.

Prescott explained his mindset during an appearance on NFL.com's Pepsi Rookie Roundtable (via Rob Phillips of the Cowboys' official website):

"But now to be that guy that's injured for the first time in my career missing the rest of the season, it's different. It's tough. But for me, it's about making and creating small victories. So each and every day when I wake up and I go in for rehab, it's about, for me, 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 before so I know that I'm continuing to get better.

"And at the end of the day, I know my team needs me. And I know 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. But it's about being right mentally and then counting those small victories."

Prescott was off to another strong start before the injury, completing 68 percent of his throws for 1,856 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions for a 99.6 passer rating in five games. He also added three rushing scores.

A fourth-round pick in the 2016 draft, the 27-year-old Mississippi State product has thrown 106 touchdowns and run for 24 more across five years (69 appearances) as the Cowboys' starter.

His injury and contract situation combined with Dallas' struggles—the team sits last in the lowly NFC East with a 3-8 record—could create a complicated situation during the offseason.

Prescott played 2020 under the one-year, $31.4 million contract associated with the franchise tag. The Cowboys could tag him again, though that'd be an even larger one-year financial investment, or sign him to a contract extension before he hits free agency.

The decision could become tougher if Dallas finishes with one of the two worst records in the league, which would put the Cowboys in position to draft one of the top-tier quarterback prospects in the 2021 class: Clemson's Trevor Lawrence or Ohio State's Justin Fields.

A chance to get one of those signal-callers on a team-friendly rookie contract may at least lead the Cowboys to consider moving on from Prescott.

That said, right now Dallas is tied for the fourth-worst mark in the NFL ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals (2-8-1), Jacksonville Jaguars (1-10) and New York Jets (0-11), so the Cowboys would likely need to lose out and get some help to have a chance at a top-two selection.

Although it creates a situation where Prescott likely returns as the Cowboys' starter next season one way or another, the discussion will be revisited in the offseason once the dust settles in the standings. The division-wide struggles even still leave them a path to the playoffs.

For now, the two-time Pro Bowl selection will continue to rehab, and Dallas will prepare for Tuesday night's Week 13 road game against the Baltimore Ravens.