Dak Prescott has seen a lot of change since joining the Cowboys in 2016, but the latest round truly hits home for him and serves as a reminder that time waits for no man in the NFL
FRISCO, TX — The message being sent by the Dallas Cowboys in 2023 is quite clear, considering they've now moved on from more than a handful of assistant coaches as well as offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, following their coaching changes with waving goodbye to Ezekiel Elliott, the former fourth-overall pick who now ranks third all-time in several categories.
For Dak Prescott, who was selected in the fourth round of the very same 2016 NFL Draft that saw Elliott taken in the top-5, it's a bit of a wake-up call regarding just how quickly time passes in this league; and just how everything around you can change.
So when it comes to his approach to the 2023 season, his already ongoing sense of urgency has officially reached fever pitch.
"For sure," he said, speaking from a charity event in Dallas. "The urgency — having all those guys depart, so many good friends and teammates and not win a championship. The urgency was there but, now, as that's turned over, I realize I might blink and my career might be over. …
"The urgency is now."
As the Cowboys enter Year 8 with Prescott under center, it's easy to forget he came into the league with Jason Garrett operating where Mike McCarthy now does and with Scott Linehan preceding the now-departed Moore at offensive coordinator, along with a slew of assistant coaching changes even before the latest round of them arrived this offseason.
And as far as the depth chart is concerned, there has been exponentially more change in that regard, lest you forget the times he threw passes to Deonte Thompson and Allen Hurns, or to Brice Butler, Cole Beasley and Terrance Williams — alongside Dez Bryant — prior to the three-headed hydra at WR headlined by Amari Cooper who, by the way, was traded to the Browns last year.
But wait, there's more.
Jason Witten has given way to Dalton Schultz who might now be giving way to Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot and now comes Brandin Cooks, via trade with the Houston Texans, to aid at WR on an offense that won't feature Elliott for the first time in nearly a decade and with Tony Pollard currently on a franchise tag preparing to team with Ronald Jones.
So much change has occurred over the past seven seasons, both mentioned and not, and we haven't even turned an eye to speaking on the constant overhauls on defense.
In other words, the only thing that is constant in the NFL is change itself.
Prescott plans to be with the Cowboys for years to come, and the front office is all-in on making that the case, but he also admittedly knows everything can change in a flash — his fractured ankle in 2020 serving as yet another reminder of this reality.
Will Prescott and the new-look Cowboys finally break their longstanding Super Bowl drought in 2023?
"It's now or never," he said. "It's [as] simple as that. No sugarcoating it."
