Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott will look to put a disappointing 2024 NFL season behind him and return next year renewed. To do so, the America’s Team quarterback will need to recover from a lengthy injury and find his rhythm with new head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who will add a key member to his staff.
Prescott played nine games in the 2024 NFL season before deciding to have surgery on a severe torn hamstring in November. The league’s highest-paid quarterback did not live up to expectations, passing for just 11 touchdowns and being intercepted eight times.
For the Cowboys, the upcoming season will be a chance for a fresh start after the departure of Mike McCarthy as the team’s head coach. The rebuild comes with Prescott as the main star, and now he will have a new staff member to help him.
Cowboys’ staff change to help Prescott
Schottenheimer’s staff move is that the Cowboys have confirmed Steve Shimko as their new quarterbacks coach, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. Shimko served as the Cowboys’ offensive analyst last season and will replace Will Harriger, who was hired by the Carolina Panthers for the same position.
Shimko is expected to bring a freshness and performance boost to quarterback Prescott, giving him more options when deciding who to pass the ball to. Without going any further, this was an aspect that needed to be improved by setting an example for wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who complained during the regular season about not being targeted enough.
The career of Shimko, the new quarterbacks coach of the Cowboys
Before arriving in Dallas, Shimko had already worked with current head coach Brian Schottenheimer, but did so with the Seattle Seahawks in 2018 and 2019. His experience also includes years as an assistant in college football, with stints on the staffs of universities such as Rutgers, Western Michigan and Georgia. Previously, he was the quarterbacks coach at Garden City Community College.