Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott blames himself for injured shoulder

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott blames himself for the torn muscle in his shoulder that has sidelined him four days into training camp.

He said he probably didn’t warm up properly before making a long throw one day in practice.

And when he started feeling it again, he decided to pull himself out.

“I didn’t want to work through and make something small worse and bigger than it has to be,” Prescott said.

Prescott is disappointed he is no longer practicing with his teammates given that he missed the final 11 games of 2020 with a fractured ankle. He spent the entire offseason working to get back and anticipating his return.

That he probably threw too much leading up to camp also might have played a role in the overuse injury that caused him to leave practice on Wednesday.

But Prescott is buoyed by the knowledge that this is expected to be a short-term setback and one that he would have played through if it was the regular season. There is no reason to rush things in the preseason.

“It’s something I didn’t want to happen that just happened,” Prescott said. “Obviously, I am a little bummed about it. But still being active and still seeing the defense and still being a part of everything. So it’s not like anything that the ankle was. I know I am doing the treatment. I am doing everything necessary to make sure I will be just fine. It’s not anything I worry about lingering or causing problems.

“Not even near the same aspect of the ankle and the time I had to take from that.”

Prescott is doing individual drills with his teammates. He is participating in the walk-through practices. He is doing conditioning work and getting treatment night and day.

That there is no throwing at all for now was evidenced by him throwing birthday cake at running back Ezekiel Elliott with left hand after his teammates and fans serenaded him for turning 28 on Thursday and then smashing cake in his face.

He could start throwing again on Tuesday, but he will not participate in the preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, on Thursday.

“I’m hopeful that he continues to progress throughout the weekend and I think we’re going to reassess it Monday morning,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “Honestly I’m just going to let the rehab process answer that question. I’m really focused on him getting back. It’s not an issue but you would definitely bring him back later than sooner. That is the mindset as far as the way we look at it.”

Prescott will no longer be doing “Hail Mary” passes in practice and he could be placed on a pitch count when he returns.

“I will take it day-by-day, continue to do the treatments, early morning or late nights,” Prescott said. “I want to get it to where I want it to feel a little less tightness. I will get back to throwing and I’m sure I will take it slow as I do that. It’s making a deep throw or an aggressive throw right now that I don’t want to risk.”

Garrett Gilbert is getting the majority of the reps with the first team in Prescott’s absence and expected to get the start against the Steelers.