Dak Prescott's Mental Recovery Could Define Cowboys’ 2025 Season

Dak Prescott is medically cleared to return, but the real battle lies in rebuilding mental trust.

After suffering a hamstring injury that derailed his 2024 campaign, Prescott admits the hardest part of rehab wasn’t the physical pain—it was learning to believe in his own body again. “It’s more mental than physical,” he said. “I had to believe again.”

The Cowboys quarterback worked extensively with a mental performance coach during the offseason, incorporating techniques like meditation, deep-breathing drills, and visual triggers. He also underwent simulated pressure workouts—designed to rebuild confidence in explosive movement and lower-body reactions. Sources say Prescott even limited social media usage, replacing scrolling with journaling to refocus mentally.

Those close to Prescott say he’s more locked in than ever before. One team source noted, “He’s approaching this comeback like a second rookie season.” Analysts believe this mental reset could lead to the most focused version of Prescott since his 2016 breakout.

“It wasn’t six weeks of rehab. It was six months of facing fear,” a close trainer told The Athletic. “Dak didn’t just get his body back—he found peace with it.”

With training camp looming, the narrative isn’t whether Dak is healthy. It’s whether this mental clarity can unlock an MVP-level run. If so, the rest of the NFC East should be very concerned.