Dak Prescott hamstring recovery timeline: Cowboys QB still healing months after season-ending injury

Dak Prescott’s 2024 season ended after just eight games, and the Cowboys’ playoff hopes faded away.

Dallas went 7-10 overall last season, led by Cooper Rush and Trey Lance in its quarterback room after Prescott went down with a hamstring injury. The expectation has been that Prescott will be back on the field for the 2025 campaign, seeking to lead the team back to an NFC East title.

However, even as it’s been over five months since Prescott last took an in-game snap, he’s still recovering from his hamstring injury.

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Here’s what to know about Prescott’s hamstring ailment, the typical recovery time for hamstring injuries and more.

Dak Prescott hamstring injury

Prescott’s injury happed against the Falcons in early November. Here’s a look at the throw where he’s believed to have tweaked his hamstring. The Cowboys initially announced that Prescott would be sidelined for multiple weeks with a partial avulsion of his right hamstring; later on, the team shared he would miss the rest of the 2024 season. A hamstring avulsion is where the tendon tears off the bone.

Since then, Prescott has been healing, now in the thick of the offseason. But he still isn’t back at 100%.

“If I had to play a game today, I definitely could do that,” Prescott said, per NBC Sports. “It’s about moving forward healthy to make sure I can play 17-20 times when the time is right.”

Prescott, 32, has also dealt with ankle and calf injuries in the past, all of which have come on his right leg.

“I’m getting close to where I want to be,” Prescott said, per NBC Sports. “I don’t want to put a percentage on it. I know we got team activities coming up. I imagine myself being involved in some sort, if not all. Then again, understanding my age and what I’ve been through, it’s about being ready for the fall. I’m not rushing anything, but I’m where I want to be.”

Despite the severity of the injury and his recovery lasting into April, Prescott does not think it will affect his mobility moving forward.

“Me playing my best, I’m mobile,” Prescott said, per NBC Sports. “Whether it’s actually running past the line of scrimmage or just scrambling, making plays happen with my arm. So, that’s vital for me. That’s a big part of this. I’ve been running more. Obviously, you’ve got to when you’re rehabbing a hamstring. It’s about just staying on that trend of just getting better, staying mobile but doing it while feeling healthy.”

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Hamstring recovery timeline

Hamstring injury recoveries often depend on the severity. Smaller injuries can heal in days, while more significant ones take months.

According to Dr. Katherine J. Coyner, a hamstring avulsion can require a rehab period of 3-6 months before returning to athletic activities. 

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Dak Prescott injury history

Even outside of his 2024 hamstring injury, Prescott has dealt with various ailments throughout his NFL career.

In 2020, Prescott suffered a compound fracture and dislocated right ankle. He’s also had calf, thumb and shoulder injuries while with the Cowboys. Here is a brief timeline of Prescott’s most significant ailments, most of which have affected his right leg.

• November 2024: Partial right hamstring avulsion; missed remainder of 2024 season
• September 2022: Thumb fracture; missed five games
• October 2021: Right calf strain; missed one game
• October 2020: Right ankle fracture and dislocation; missed remainder of 2020 season

Dak Prescott contract

Just before the 2024 season, the Cowboys agreed to a four-year, $240 million extension with Prescott, making him the highest-paid player in NFL history in terms of average annual value ($60 million). A total of $231 million is guaranteed, and the contract runs through the 2028 season.

Here’s a breakdown of Prescott’s contract, per Spotrac: