Alex Smith Thinks Dak Prescott Is Ready For A Huge Comeback Season

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a serious leg injury last October that sidelined him for most of the season. Now entering the 2021 season with a fresh slate and a healthy body, Prescott is getting support from an old division rival.

Former Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith, who suffered a gruesome leg injury himself in 2018, weighed in on Prescott’s situation.

“Dak is, I think, one of the most unique athletes in the NFL – and I really think that from like a freakish perspective,” Smith said. “He is such a strong, powerful, such a good athlete. So I really expect him to come back and be rolling. Then you add that on to his fortitude and mental perspective? I think he’s going to have a huge, huge year.”

(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Widely regarded as one of the worst injuries in NFL history, Smith sustained a compound fracture to both his tibia and fibula; the injury required 17 surgeries, limb salvage maneuvers, and then a grueling recovery process, but Smith eventually came back to lead his team to an NFC East title.

Prescott acknowledged that, in his initial moments of doubt, he leaned on the story of Alex Smith as inspiration.

"I have to thank, honestly, Alex Smith," Prescott said. "Because at that moment when you're sitting there, and you have an injury like that or you come out of surgery, to see somebody who's already done it and did it actually in worse circumstances, that allowed my mind to go straight to 'I can do this. I'm going to beat this, it's just a matter of time. What are the doctors saying? But I'm going to beat this.'"

Thanks to a dedicated recovery and positive outlook for the future, Dallas extended Prescott to the tune of four years, $160 million in March. He had been playing under a franchise tag when he suffered the ankle injury.

If Prescott can redeliver the type of numbers he was putting up early last season, then Cowboy fans can look forward to a year of high scores and big plays. The effort may even earn Dak a Comeback Player of the Year nod, like his friend and colleague Smith won as well.