Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott takes the field for the first practice of training camp on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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OXNARD, Calif. — Dak Prescott arrived here at training camp wearing a T-shirt that celebrated the Cowboys’ last Super Bowl victory. Technically, I suppose he could have owned it as a child, but I doubt the XL would have fit him as a 2-year-old.
Prescott turned 33 Wednesday when the Cowboys took the field for their first practice on the road to … where exactly? The fact that many can speculate but no one knows is what makes this journey so intriguing. The team has an offense capable of competing at the highest level, but the long shot is that a handful of new faces and the arrival of defensive coordinator Christian Parker will transform the defense into contender quality.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott gives a thumbs up to fans who had a sign wishing him happy birthday as he signed autographs following a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys fans wait for the gates to open on the first practice of training camp on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys fans wait for the gates to open on the first practice of training camp on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys fans head through the gates as they open for the first practice of training camp on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys defensive back Daron Bland slaps hands with Cowboys mascot Rowdy as he takes the field for the first practice of training camp on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Tyler Guyton signs autographs before the first practice of training camp on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott takes the field for the first practice of training camp on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) high fives teammates including running back Javonte Williams (33) and quarterback Sam Howell (16) during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown dances between drills during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer laughs with defensive back Malik Hooker as the team stretches during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer hugs tight end Jake Ferguson (87) during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Kenny Clark (97) runs a drill with teammates during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott stretches with teammates during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) talks with wide receiver Kavontae Turpin during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ceedee Lamb catches a pass during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ceedee Lamb’s cleats are seen during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ceedee Lamb catches a ball during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams runs a drill during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (left) and chief operating officer Stephen Jones watch from a tower during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ceedee Lamb (left) works against defensive back Daron Bland during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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A fan has a card for Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ceedee Lamb tucked atop his helmet as he watches during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys running back Phil Mafah fumbles the ball as he is hit by defensive back Shavon Revel (28) before having the ball recovered by defensive back Caleb Downs (13) during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) scrambles away from defensive linemen Jonathan Bullard (98) and Kenny Clark (97) during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens runs for the end zone after a catch during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens falls backwards into the end zone during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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A pass goes just out of reach for wide receiver Ceedee Lamb during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys defensive back P.J. Locke (1) is helped off the field during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams (33) is knocked off his feet by linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (0) during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Joe Milton III (10) runs with quarterback Sam Howell (16), wide receiver Anthony Smith (83) and quarterback Dak Prescott (4) during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker calls in a play using a radio as defensive back Zion Childress (48) heads to the sidelines during a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott signs autographs following a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer signs autographs following a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey signs autographs following a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Kavontae Turpin signs autographs following a training camp practice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Oxnard, Calif.
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But what about Dak himself?
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At 33, he’s venturing into mostly forbidden territory. This is a young man’s game and, increasingly, the critical spot is seen as a young man’s position. Only four teams are beginning camp with older quarterbacks in the starting spot, and you have to be reasonable and say that three of the four — Kirk Cousins in Las Vegas, Geno Smith with the New York Jets and Jacoby Brissett in Arizona — have no playoff aspirations at all.
The Rams’ Matthew Stafford remains the lone target for Dak in numerous ways. Although Seattle deserves its recognition as defending champs, LA is the prime Super Bowl pick from the NFC. Stafford won his first Super Bowl trip at 34 and nearly made another last year at 37. Can that be Dak, given how Stafford’s first NFL decade played out — a string of big-number seasons but no playoff wins in Detroit — or does Prescott need to change teams to follow Stafford’s footprints?
Dallas dearly hopes that is not the case.
Dak’s potential remains high enough based on regular-season totals, based on the darts he throws to CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, based on a second-place finish in the league MVP voting in 2023 when he had 36 touchdown passes to go with just nine interceptions. His 2025 numbers weren’t that far off those numbers (30-10), and he actually threw a career-high 600 pass attempts while making adjustments to the new head coach that most of us didn’t even think about.
“The way he’s taken the changes we made last year, playing more under center was a little bit different for him,’’ coach Brian Schottenheimer said Wednesday. “With Kellen [Moore], I mean I was here, we were gun and spread out and things like that. Now we’re more cut splits and movements and actions, and it was not an easy transition for a guy who had been playing at a high level a couple years ago with Kellen and Mike [McCarthy].
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“I think that he showed the versatility to be able to do both is pretty cool. I just love this guy’s curiosity for getting better.’’
Prescott was sharp enough in the team’s first workout Wednesday, even if Lamb dropped his first pass in team drills. The clock doesn’t lie, but it does tell different stories from one quarterback to the next. Tom Brady won four Super Bowls after turning 37. Troy Aikman won seven regular season games after turning 33, the age Dak reached Wednesday.
That suggests a wide spread of possibilities, and there’s little doubt that Dak has worked himself into condition that he lacked in his earliest years as a pro. That can’t do anything but help. But he started all 17 games in 2025, and Dak hasn’t played consecutive full seasons since 2018-19. His absences don’t tend to be brief, either. Dak missed 25 starts in 2020-’22-’24.
Maybe he’s going to be Jim Plunkett, who not only won his first Super Bowl as a Raider at 33. That was also his first playoff season. Another Raider, Rich Gannon, hit his first and only Super Bowl stage at 37. It was a loss to Tampa Bay, but, while no one is going to say it, I suspect everyone from Dak to Jerry Jones would take a Super Bowl loss as the high point in the next 3-4 years.
Meanwhile, Dak has plenty going for him. Lamb missed a career-high four games (technically, inactive for three but injured on the first drive in Chicago before he caught a pass). He also had second-fiddle numbers to George Pickens last year. And Pickens is as motivated as Lamb since he signed the franchise tag and is playing for a potentially monstrous long-term deal that will dwarf Lamb’s, whether it’s in Dallas or someplace else.
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So Dak’s numbers figure to be as good as ever in 2026. The all-important Madden ratings have him the seventh-best passer in the league while the guy whose winning timeline the Cowboys are betting on Dak copying — the Rams’ Stafford — checks in at No. 1.
Maybe as birthdays go, this one has a chance to be special for everyone.