Dak Prescott has been participating in organized team activities with the Dallas Cowboys.

"It felt great," said Prescott, who is working his way back from a dislocated and compound fracture of his right ankle.

"After long months of recovery and just rehab, the main goal is to just getting back out there with my teammates, getting back on the field, running a huddle, building that camaraderie on the field. It's just exciting yesterday and carrying over today, but so much we can build with the team and me personally. I'm just excited to know the game is back and I'm able to be a part of it."

Prescott went through everything except the full 11-on-11 drills and the end-of-practice walkthrough Tuesday.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will host the Dallas Cowboys to open the 2021 NFL regular season on Thursday, September 9th.

Since 2004, 16 defending Super Bowl champions have played in the NFL season opener, and those teams have gone 13-3. 

Last year, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans 34-20 in the NFL Kickoff Game at Arrowhead Stadium.

Tom Brady and Dak Prescott have faced off in one previous game in their careers. 

Dan Quinn contemplated his coaching style and scheme after the Atlanta Falcons fired him following an 0-5 start to last season.

Quinn tweaked his scheme before joining the Dallas Cowboys as their defensive coordinator.

"I wanted to do as big an after-action on my own self to make sure what I could learn from, things that went well and things that didn't go well," he said. "So, I wanted to kind of do a 360 on the whole process first, the scheme side."

Dak Prescott believes he's close to 100 percent.

If needed, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback says he could play right now, just seven months after suffering a gruesome ankle fracture.

"I'm close," Prescott said. "I can go play in a game right now and in my head be very, very successful. So there is no doubt when that I need to be successful, when I need to do the things that it takes to be on the field, I'll do exactly that, and the timing will be right."

The Dallas Cowboys will not pick up Leighton Vander Esch's fifth-year option for 2022, according to his agent, Ron Slavin.

Vander Esch will become an unrestricted free agent next offseason.

Vander Esch's injury history is the biggest reason.

After the Cowboys selected Vander Esch 19th overall in 2018, he was a Pro Bowler.