Dak Prescott‘s situation has a strong sense of déjà vu about it. When the Cowboys signed a 4-year extension worth $240 million with $231 million guaranteed, everyone asked Prescott the same question. How did he manage to crack such a grand deal? The franchise hailed their starter as their hero. Despite that, he failed to reach the NFC Championship even once in his 9-year stint with the America’s Team. What else? They reached playoffs only 5 times in those 9 years and also failed to go beyond the Divisional round. Injuries also halted his progress in the league. The analysts are now raising these questions.

Well, the reason behind this is the latest QB addition. Jerry Jones made a sneaky move by bringing in Joe Milton from the Patriots. He played only one game in the 2024 season, completing 22 of 29 passes (75.9% completion rate) for 241 passing yards and 1 touchdown. He also scored a rushing TD in just 10 rushes. But how does this affect Dak Prescott? Remember Tony Romo in 2016? Well, more on that déjà vu later. Enter James Jones.

NFL legend James Jones claimed on the April 4 episode of The Facility that if Joe Milton performs well in the preseason, he could get his chance. He also said, “The only way for me the only way for me for Dak Prescott to not look over his shoulders is if this year he goes out there and he balls and he delivers in the big time moments and he delivers in the playoffs,” questioning Prescott and leaving a warning.

It will not be easy for the Cowboys’ signal caller. The injuries have hurt his playing time deeply. In 2021, he injured his right ankle. A surgery was done to treat the compound fracture, but he missed 11 games. Dak Prescott missed 1 game in 2021 because of a calf injury and 5 in 2022 after a right thumb injury. The Cowboys missed him last year when he suffered a partial avulsion in the right hamstring. It made him sit out 9 games. But why are injuries becoming the talk of the town?

It’s history in front of our eyes. Dak Prescott must remember the time when he arrived at the Cowboys. The starter, Tony Romo, was their QB1 before the tables turned in just one season.

Injuries helped Dak Prescott become Tony Romo’s successor

Almost everyone agrees on one part. Joe Milton will not get a chance to play unless the starter gets injured. Let’s rewind back to 2016. The Cowboys had Tony Romo as their starter QB. He was struggling with injuries. Romo missed 12 games in the 2015 season after injuring his left shoulder twice. The Cowboys brought in Dak Prescott in the 2016 NFL Draft in the 4th round (135th overall).

Even then, Romo was the starter. However, he injured his L1 vertebrae. The compression fracture sidelines him for the first 10 games of the season. Who replaced him? Dak Prescott. As a rookie, he delivered phenomenal results, with an 8-game winning streak. Overall, he finished the season with a 13-3 win-loss record. With a 23-4 touchdown-interception ratio, the Cowboys basked in his glory.

Not only that, Prescott also scored 6 rushing touchdowns. Isn’t that impressive? It definitely is. That’s what swayed the favor in his side. The Cowboys had assured Tony Romo of the starting position. But when they saw the results, they just couldn’t stop the inexperienced player from playing. Jones added, “Just like Dak Prescott got in the game, when a better quarterback in Tony Romo was in front of him, but he got hurt and Dak Prescott took full advantage of his opportunity,” calling it a similar fate.

That’s the perfect analogy. This year, the biggest challenge to securing the starting QB spot is health—plain and simple. No team wants to kick off their campaign with someone who could jeopardize the entire season. It’s been three decades. Could 2025 finally be the year they break the jinxes and make a historic leap forward in franchise history? It could be. But first, they’ll have to overcome one of their most persistent obstacles: internal power struggles.