Dak Prescott

Should Dallas Cowboys fans be concerned about Dak Prescott's latest MRI news?

Updated Aug. 12, 2021 2:47 p.m. ET

It might just be a precaution, but Dak Prescott's MRI is still setting off some alarm bells.

That's the nature of the business when you're the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys and just signed a four-year, $160 million contract to remain the face of "America's Team" in March.

Plus, there's the odd way in which the Cowboys tweeted out the news:

Once the team breaks camp in Oxnard, California and returns to Texas, Prescott will have the MRI.

The good news? The MRI has nothing to do with Prescott's devastating right ankle injury that he suffered a season ago. The bad news? It is on his throwing shoulder, but the Cowboys (and Prescott) have insisted it's strictly precautionary.

Prescott sustained the injury on July 28 during practice and has subsequently missed several practices. Those who saw the QB on HBO's first episode of "Hard Knocks" got a glimpse of how frustrated the 28-year-old was after being held out.

If it were up to him, he'd be practicing fully. He did take part in some light throwing earlier this week with wideout Amari Cooper, which is encouraging for Cowboys fans.

And when asked about the injury, Prescott told NFL Network's Jane Slater if there was a meaningful game coming up Sunday, he would find a way to play.

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So, are the Cowboys accurate in saying Prescott's MRI is no big deal?

For Colin Cowherd of "The Herd," while the news isn't quite a five-alarm fire, it's still concerning.

"Something's not quite right," Cowherd said. "It's not doom. It's not gloom. … [But] 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL, one has had an MRI ⁠— Dak. One has had two MRIs ⁠— Dak. … Nothing is everything, everything is something. And I think this is and has become an incredibly Dak-reliant team. That's why this is important. … What do they do well? Dak's productive. That's it."

Colin Cowherd: Cowboys are becoming too "Dak reliant" as Prescott is scheduled for yet another MRI I THE HERD

Hear why Colin Cowherd believes the Dallas Cowboys are becoming too dependent on Dak Prescott.

Cowherd pointed to last season as evidence for Dallas being overly Dak-dependent. In 2020, the Cowboys ranked 28th in points allowed and 23rd in yards allowed on defense, and the pass rush ranked 20th with 31 sacks for the season.

On offense, the Cowboys checked in at 17th with 1,788 rushing yards. Through four full games in 2020, Prescott had 1,690 yards, good for 422.5 passing yards per game. In the 11 full games without Prescott, the Cowboys picked up just 2,254 passing yards, or 204.9 passing yards per game.

It's clear Prescott was, and is, the engine behind the offense. In that case, then, it makes sense that the Cowboys would be extra cautious with the QB.

Nevertheless, Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless also registered a level of concern on "Undisputed" after hearing the news.

And on "First Things First," LaVar Arrington said, "You can't brush this thing off."

Try as they might, the Cowboys won't be able to ease concerns until those MRI results come back with good news.

If all is well, there is even a chance we'll see Dak on the field this preseason. Friday's game against the Arizona Cardinals won't be happening, but playing Aug. 21 against the Houston Texans isn't out of the question.

As for any concerns about Week 1's opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 9, Prescott brushed those aside in a conversation with NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

"There's no doubt, and that's the purpose of taking it slow and being cautious, that the moment I kick back and I get going again that it's not going to be lingering, there's not going to be problems and that's playing safe and being cautious with it. I'm just trying to play it smart and make sure I'm out there."

That would be music to the ears of Cowboys fans everywhere.

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