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Dak Prescott’s best test yet as the new face of the Cowboys came two days after owner Jerry Jones once again declared that all Dallas players will stand for the national anthem and even said they wouldn’t be afforded the alternative of staying in the locker room.

The star quarterback didn’t pause or stammer. He didn’t stop himself to consider what his peers might think. He made it clear he will stand Mike White Jersey , and doesn’t think it’s right to do otherwise.

”Whether I was wearing the star or not, whether I was playing for Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones or any other owner, I believe in what I believe in and that’s that,” Prescott said Friday in his first session with reporters at training camp.

Jerry Jones held his usual camp-opening news conference Wednesday, and said his usual things about the anthem, and then some. Son Stephen Jones, executive vice president of personnel, suggested a day later that the Cowboys would cut any player who stayed in the locker room.

The option of staying off the field was part of a policy owners approved in May, but was put on hold not long after The Associated Press revealed that the Miami Dolphins would consider suspending players up to four games for kneeling or otherwise protesting during the anthem.

Just as he did when he showed up two years ago as the overshadowed third quarterback on Tony Romo’s team, Prescott offered his opinion plainly and simply, and in so many words. There are countless more people listening now.

”He knows how important that is to be one of the faces of the team and he always does exactly what you’d expect, to a script Michael Irvin Jersey ,” offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said. ”It’s not forced. It’s just part of him.”

Prescott replaced an injured Romo in 2016 and had one of the best rookie seasons for a quarterback in NFL history while leading Dallas to an NFC-best 13 wins and ultimately sending Romo into retirement.

Now 15-year tight end Jason Witten and franchise touchdown catch leader Dez Bryant are gone. The former Mississippi State standout is the leading voice, and not hesitating to use it.

”I’d never protest during the anthem, and I don’t think that’s the time or the venue to do so,” Prescott said while adding that he respected the right of others to protest. ”We know about social injustice. I’m up for taking a next step, whatever that step may be for action and not just kneeling.”

Prescott didn’t have any immediate specifics for that community action, but it’ll be a few months before he can concentrate on it fully. Right now he’s trying to get the Cowboys back to the playoffs after his encore fell flat.

Dallas missed the postseason at 9-7 last season, clouded by the fight over the six-game suspension that Prescott’s fellow rookie sensation, running back Ezekiel Elliott, finally had to serve halfway through the year.

”It was just a lot of mental mistakes, a lot of things that I feel like I don’t normally do,” said Prescott, who had 13 interceptions a year after throwing just four while setting an NFL rookie record for passer rating. ”I feel like I thought a lot about different things last year within the games and that’s something I’m going to try to eliminate.”

The Cowboys are unproven at tight end and receiver after Witten retired and the Cowboys decided to release Bryant in a cost-cutting move. Cole Beasley has the longest Dallas tenure among the receivers, and Terrance Williams is the only other pass-catcher who was on the roster for Prescott’s rookie season.

”Really last year was a struggle. He had some breakdowns at other spots that made it tough on him James Burgess Jersey ,” Beasley said. ”Good or bad or ugly, he’s the same person through and through. That’s what you want from your quarterback. Because that’s how it is in games.”

Elliott doesn’t have a possible suspension looming this season, and at the moment an offensive line that was an issue a year ago is healthy with a new piece in second-round pick Connor Williams. The former Texas player is working as the starting left guard in camp.

Not long before coming to California, Prescott spent time with some of his untested receiving corps in Florida. Now he goes about figuring out life without Witten and Bryant.

”We’re past that,” he said. ”We had the whole (offseason practices) and minicamps to kind of get over that stage. Those are guys I’ve said before you can’t replace. But when you get out here, you just see the youthfulness that we have, how young this team is and the energy.”

With a new leading voice.

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As he prepares for his second season, Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky can sense the difference and so can his teammates.

It's the faith in him and the leadership he's showing.

"I love the position I'm in and the leadership role," Trubisky said Wednesday.

"I have to know the guys are looking at me. Come out every day and bring the energy and make sure I'm taking care of my business so that everyone else's job is easier around them, too. That's what I'm trying to do and I love the responsibility and I'm just very excited for the continuous opportunities to move forward and move this team."

How far the Bears go largely hinges on the development of their quarterback.

General manager Ryan Pace banked on a big payoff when he traded up a spot with San Francisco last year to draft Trubisky with the No. 2 overall pick. He then largely designed the offseason game plan around his young quarterback.

The Bears hired the offensive-minded Matt Nagy off Andy Reid's staff in Kansas City to replace the fired John Fox and overhauled their receiving group, with Allen Robinson the most notable addition.

They also added some potential difference makers in the draft, taking Iowa lineman James Daniels and Memphis receiver Anthony Miller in the second round.

More than anything, they believe they surrounded Trubisky with the pieces he needs to reach his potential and invigorate a struggling franchise.

The Bears have four straight last-place finishes in the NFC North and just one playoff appearance since the 2006 team reached the Super Bowl.

Along with the new additions Josh Gordon Jersey , the Bears are seeing a more comfortable and confident Trubisky.

"He is in more control now," running back Tarik Cohen said. "He knows the players. He can really call us out. When you're a rookie, you're hesitant to really jump on guys. He's taken over more of the reins. He's in the driver's seat now."

It's a different feeling for a quarterback who wasn't even supposed to play last season. With just 13 college starts at North Carolina, the Bears planned to have him watch from the sideline.

Instead, Mike Glennon struggled and Trubisky started the final 12 games. It was a tough spot for a raw but talented rookie.

And though he showed some promise, he clearly had room to grow. It didn't help that he was working with a struggling receiving group hit hard by injuries.

It all added up to an offense that ranked 30th overall and finished in the bottom half for the third time in four years.

But whether it's the new system and pieces around him or just the fact that he's no longer a rookie, Trubisky is more comfortable. He's embracing the responsibility that comes with his role, and he can sense the mounting faith in him.

"Nothing gives me more confidence than when my teammates believe in me," Trubisky said.

He's still facing a steep learning curve. The same goes for his teammates and the coaches. They're all adjusting.

"That's part of being out here, too, with these guys, the nuances of things, the year-to-year editing that you do Sean Mannion Jersey ," new offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said.

The system is "100 percent" Nagy's, Helfrich said.

As for Trubisky?

"I really like his mindset," Helfrich said.

He sees a quarterback who's not afraid to ask questions as he grows into the job.

"I think we all see through his eyes on a lot of things and through his brain and how he thinks through things," Helfrich said.

"That's a big part of it, too is just learning how that guy sees things and being able to talk and teach to that. Today he made some mistakes, today he corrected some guys, but he'll throw that away and build from the good stuff and continue to kind of add a little bit more each day."

NOTES: WR Kevin White said the conversation with general manager Ryan Pace was "clean cut and smooth" when he found out the Bears weren't picking up his fifth-year option. He also said he is feeling "really good" as he works his way back from a broken shoulder. Drafted seventh overall in 2015 and Pace's first pick as a general manager, White has been limited to five games because of leg and shoulder injuries.

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