Dallas Cowboys plan to hold Dak Prescott, most starters out of preseason finale

Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy didn’t quite make it official.

But said the Cowboys plan to hold quarterback Dak Prescott and the majority of the starters out of Friday’s final preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, just as they did in the first two games against the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers.

The goal is to give Prescott and company the bulk of the working competitive practices at Ford Center in Frisco Tuesday and Wednesday nights and have them sit out Friday.

The rookies and young players will get the bulk of the load against the Seahawks just as they did in the first two preseason games.

“If we can get the ones enough work the way I anticipate, then we will play the third game like we did the first two,” McCarthy said.

What it means is that Prescott will not take a snap in the preseason for the second straight season.

He sat out last preseason and out of harm’s way as he made his way back from a fractured ankle that sidelined him for the final 11 games of the 2020 season.

Although the Cowboys lost to the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Buccaneers 31-29 in last year’s season opener, Prescott didn’t look like it was his first football game in 11 months, showing little rust in completing 42 of 58 passes for 403 yards and three touchdowns.

With 2021 as a backdrop, sitting Prescott for the entire 2022 preseason has been the plan all along, especially with the competitive practice sessions the Cowboys had with the Broncos and Chargers in advance of both games.

For McCarthy, it was not just a plan for Prescott but for the majority of the starters and veterans.

He said health is the No. 1 priority.

McCarthy said the team not only got quality work in the joint practices but also during a competitive and productive training camp in Oxnard, California, that was heavy on situational work and game-like environments.

McCarthy said there are no right or wrong answers toward the decision on how much to play in the preseason.

“I trust our practice environment,” he said.

What’s also true is that McCarthy has come to love Oxnard, including the weather, ease of going from the hotel to the practice field and quality of work they were able to get done.

If it was up to him, he would have stayed in Oxnard for at least another week of practice, rather than returning home for this week of work at the Ford Center.

“I wouldn’t leave Oxnard until we have to next year,” McCarthy said. “I’d consider staying there this week. Our practice environment in Onxard ... I am so pleased with it. We got a lot of work done there. I think Oxnard has been a tremendous asset for us to train.”