FRISCO, Texas — Quarterback Dak Prescott said Thursday that he and coach Brian Schottenheimer had honest conversations after Sunday’s loss in Rio de Janeiro and that there is no trust issue between them, one day after the Dallas Cowboys traded for cornerback Joey Porter Jr..
Prescott arrived at The Star on Thursday to find Porter already on the practice field. The Pittsburgh Steelers traded Porter to Dallas on Wednesday night for a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick.
“Yeah, excited. Yeah, when I heard the news, pumped up about it,” Prescott said. “Yeah, and then just getting here this morning, seeing him already at practice, ready to go, engaged. We’ve all welcomed him and excited to have him. Just as much as the front office making the trade, everybody in the locker room’s pumped to have him, know he’s gonna help this team and get right to it.”
Porter intercepted Prescott on Oct. 6, 2024, during Dallas’ 20-17 win in Pittsburgh. Prescott brought it up himself, calling it almost a 50-50 ball that Porter made look easy.
“Yeah, he’s a good corner. He’s the guy that can play physical, play man-to-man and take a receiver away, shut a side down, and now to have that on our side, a playmaker when the ball is in the air,” Prescott said. “I mean, I know he went and got one on me on a right, almost a 50-50 ball, that he didn’t make it seem that way at all. And when you’ve got a guy like that with ball skills and hunger for the ball, you want him on your team, and so glad it happened.”
Porter said Thursday that the two had not talked about it yet. “I think he know, though,” Porter said.
Dak Prescott Calls Joey Porter Jr. Deal A Win-Now Trade
The move came from owners who do not wait, Prescott said, and he wants the offense and defense playing complementary football.
“Yeah, as you just said, knowing how good we can be on offense and how good we are, and, yeah, just wanting this whole game to be complementary. It doesn’t matter how good we are if the other side’s not trying to do the same,” Prescott explained. “And obviously, through the offseason changes and everything, those guys in the locker room, they’re doing that and they are getting better. And so just to make a win-now trade, yeah, it means a lot. It just shows you that this whole organization is on the same page. And you’re thankful when you got guys at the top, the owners making those decisions and not waiting.”
Dak Prescott Says Cowboys Got In Their Own Way On Final Drive
Schottenheimer said Tuesday that he overcoached Prescott on third-and-goal from the 7 late in the 34-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, using a word that put Prescott in a conservative mindset before Prescott threw the ball away. Dallas settled for Brandon Aubrey’s tying field goal with seven seconds left.
Prescott called the conversations that followed a debrief between a head coach and a quarterback.
“Yeah, honest conversations between a head coach and a quarterback, clearing the air, debriefing, as you can say,” Prescott said. “This is what happened. This is what should happen. This is what we’ll do better together next time.”
A term was needed in that moment, Prescott said, just not the one that was used.
“I think it may be different because when the coach says, ‘Oh, it’s my fault. I’ve said this or I said that,’ right? Like, it’s terms that we use that mean a lot of different things,” Prescott said. “And so was there a term needed to be used? Absolutely. Was it the term that we probably should have used then? No. So that’s where Schotty’s taking accountability, but it’s not like it’s a lack of trust from one or another, or he’s trying to tell me, ‘Hey, throw it here, throw it there, do that.’ Not at all. So just a mistake that I’m glad we made in Week 3.”
The drive started at first-and-goal from the 2 after a pass interference penalty on a throw to CeeDee Lamb. Dallas took a shot to George Pickens on first down, and a false start pushed the offense back. Prescott said he would make the first-down throw again.
“I mean, things happened. We had a penalty, shot ourselves in the foot. That backed it up, right? Then, yeah, going back, like, can you run every play? Obviously not with the time,” Prescott said. “So should we have just tried to run it in on the first play instead of taking the fade? I mean, hell, you give me one-one to George with three more downs, I’m going to take that first one at the fade.”
“So you can go back and what-if a lot of different scenarios. But to say overall, did I think we were trying to win the game? Yeah, I did,” Prescott continued. “Probably could have been a little bit more assertive in doing so or trying to get it done. But as I just heard CeeDee say, right, we got in our own way that made it all harder. And I think from getting in our own way, that’s where certain things were said that probably shouldn’t have been.”
Both Schottenheimer and defensive coordinator Christian Parker took public responsibility this week for the final sequences. Prescott said that matters for a team’s respect and trust.
“I think it’s important. I mean, I think, as a leader, as somebody that has to make a lot of decisions, even myself, when you mess up and you haven’t made the decision or made the decision that you wanted to make, you have to do that,” Prescott said. “If not, you lose respect and you lose trust. And I know those are two of the better leaders I’ve been around in my time, and I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Through three games, Prescott has completed 73 of 105 passes for 730 yards with seven touchdowns and one interception. Dallas plays the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium on Sunday, with kickoff set for noon CT on Fox.
