Jerry Jones Already Wants Dak Prescott to Run Less

Dak Prescott broke and dislocated his right ankle during the Cowboys game against the Giants last week and is out for the season. The injury came on a designed quarterback draw. Prescott took the snap out of the shotgun, ran up the middle, veered left and tried to stiff-arm Giants cornerback Logan Ryan before being pulled to the ground at the expense of his ankle.

That kind of play call isn't new for the Cowboys. They often design plays for Prescott to run. Most often, it happens around the goal line (Prescott has 24 rushing touchdowns in his career, including three this year), but the Cowboys will throw a few QB draws or bootlegs when they feel they have a good matchup.

Well, that could change as soon as Prescott is on the field again if Cowboys owner/GM/czar Jerry Jones has his way.

During his weekly call on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, Jones said the following about Prescott running the ball moving forward.

"“What it does remind me of though is you cannot figure in as part of your offense is that you really are vulnerable when you put a running game in that really utilizes a lot the running game with the quarterback. This game, you’re going to get hurt.”"

For those of you not fluid in Jonesese, what he's saying is you can expect fewer designed running plays from Prescott if he remains in Dallas moving forward. Putting his quarterback in a "vulnerable" situation as part of a designed package clearly isn't something Jones wants to see much of, especially as he decides how much to offer Prescott in a long-term deal.

The flip side is football is an inherently violent, dangerous sport. This kind of injury could happen to Prescott anytime he has the ball in his hands. There's no way to completely protect him from the possibility of injury. Plus, running is a big part of Prescott's game. It also keeps defenses off-balance. They need to prepare for that possibility and have a player keying on Prescott. That's an advantage to the offense.

Prescott is expected to recover from his injury and be back on the field in time for the 2021 season. Interestingly, if the Cowboys don't franchise tag him again or sign him to a long-term extension, it could be for another team. But if he's still in Dallas and Jones has his way, expect to see Prescott running less moving forward.