FRISCO, Texas -- Dak Prescott wanted to see how fast he was during one of the early Dallas Cowboys practices in Oxnard, California.
After carrying out a fake on a Hunter Luepke run, the quarterback made a quick shout to CeeDee Lamb and the race was on to the goal line some 50 yards away. Maybe Prescott won by a step, but Lamb, the Pro Bowl wide receiver, might have passed him late.
"I mean, I had a head start," Prescott said.
But there was a reason why Prescott went into a full sprint. He admitted it had something to do with the right hamstring avulsion he suffered against the Atlanta Falcons, which required surgery and ended his 2024 season after eight games.
"Honestly, what that is, is trying to make sure I do push my limits in practice," Prescott said. "Not being hit, I'm not necessarily running away from people as fast as I can, so I've got to make sure I do get some of those reps. And that was a good moment there: 'Hey, CeeDee, let's race.'
"With a head start, I knew I had to get it. But that's just going to prepare me for the games. It can't be the first time that I'm running for my life when I get out there on Thursday against Philly."
The Cowboys' season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles is less than two weeks away, and for the sixth straight year Prescott will enter the season without any preseason work.
Dallas has won two of their past three season openers, but Prescott has not topped 180 yards passing and has totaled one touchdown and one interception. In the blowout wins against the Cleveland Browns (2024) and New York Giants (2023), the Cowboys did not need Prescott to play Superman.
The last time Prescott returned from a season-ending injury was the 2021 opener -- and he was Superman. He threw for 403 yards on 22-of-58 passing with three touchdown passes and an interception in a loss to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were coming off their Super Bowl LV victory.
The Eagles will also unfurl their championship banner on Sept. 4.
Prescott has said he believes the work he got in training camp, plus the extended time in a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams, will be enough preparation to face Philadelphia.
But he does want to make sure his legs are ready, so even after his race with Lamb, he kept carrying out his fakes down the field to build stamina.
"Quarterbacks, they don't run [in practice] like some of the other guys do," coach Brian Schottenheimer said. "Everything is tracked [by] Catapult. The power. The movement. The steps. The distance. The speed. All that stuff is measured. It's more about him getting to top speed because you're not getting to that top speed in practice as much as you would in a game when you're moved off the spot."
Prior to suffering the hamstring injury, Prescott never had more than two runs in a game last season. Leading into the Falcons game, Prescott promised to use his legs more. He had a 22-yard run in that game, but after a third-quarter scramble he felt a pull in his right leg. Setting up to pass a couple plays later, Prescott's leg gave out.
His game and season were over.
He trusted the surgery and the rehab process to where he was able to do everything he wanted during the offseason program. He did not have a day off during training camp.
The Eagles have one of the best pass rushes in the league and can get to a quarterback with outside speed or inside power. The Cowboys could be starting an offensive line that will include two players (left tackle Nate Thomas and right guard Tyler Booker) making the first starts of their careers.
"It's not now [just] being healthy, it's about how can I get better?" Prescott said. "I can't say, 'OK, the hammy's good,' and I don't need to run anymore. Well, no, I've got to continue to be pushing running. I need to continue to do things that have gotten me to this point because it's only going to get me healthier and only going to allow me to do the things that I want to do during the season and throughout the season."
The Cowboys won't ask Prescott to run like he did earlier in his career when they had designed run/pass options, especially near the goal line.
In 2018, he had a career-high 75 carries for 305 yards. He ran for 18 touchdowns in his first three years, six in each season. From 2019 to 2024, he totaled 11 rushing touchdowns.
In 2020, he suffered a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle. In his first four seasons, he ran for at least 277 yards. Since the ankle injury, he has topped 200 yards once (242 in 2023).
"Dak's gotta be able to run," Schottenheimer said. "Quarterbacks run in this league. That's what they do. Now, are we going to come out the first play of the season against Philadelphia and run power read with the quarterback? No, probably not.
"But at the end of the day, he's got to move. He's got to make plays. He's got to extend plays. Can we run him? Sure, we'll run him. And he's a good athlete. He has to be smart, getting down. Hey if he's in danger, slide. Get down. And that's what all the great ones do."