The Dallas Cowboys stumbled down the stretch and bowed out of the postseason with a disappointing 19-12 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round.
Yes, the Cowboys exorcised their road playoff woes in beating Tampa Bay in the Wild Card Round, but Dak Prescott admitted his play at the end of the season wasn't what he'd hoped.
"The end of the season was tough, for sure," Prescott said last week at the Children's Cancer Fund "Light It Up" Gala in Dallas. "And I took a break off at the end of the season ... just everything that you put into a season, and then obviously it turned out the way it did. It was a different season for me personally, so yeah, took the time off but then got back at it."
The grind this offseason has a different feel for Prescott, with the Cowboys changing a host of coaches, including Brian Schottenheimer taking over as offensive coordinator, and head coach Mike McCarthy calling plays. This is also the first year of Dak's career that Ezekiel Elliott isn't part of the Cowboys.
"I'm not going to lie to you, it was tough going in Day 1. Not just because of Zeke, but a bunch of coaching changes," Prescott said, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "I can't say it was tough, it was interesting. 'How's this going to feel? What's this going to be like?' When I left, it was amazing, honestly. It was change, but it was a sense of positive change and excitement for me. I'm an optimistic guy and always have been -- you guys know that. I guess going into there, I couldn't tell if the glass was half-full or half-empty. And then I leave, it was definitely half full. I'm excited about the direction we're going. But it was tough."
The question in Dallas is whether the offseason overhaul will get the Cowboys over the postseason hump after extending their streak of not making it to the NFC Championship Game to 27 seasons. If the results are similar in 2023, a whole different kind of coaching shakeup could be ordered.
Elliott has joined Prescott and other Cowboys at the QB's throwing sessions this offseason.
"He's my best friend, hell yeah I'm throwing with him," Prescott said.
The QB said he hasn't talked to Zeke about his free-agent opportunities but would be frustrated if it were him.
Elliott was also at last week's Gala but declined to discuss his release other than saying, "I'm doing great, doing great."
Veteran RBs like Zeke will likely have to wait until after this week's draft -- and possibly much later into the summer -- to find a landing spot for the 2023 season.
