AP

A year away from football hasn’t affected Cowboys tight end Jason Witten adversely.

“I guess the trick is to take a year off because he’s definitely gotten better, stronger and faster,” quarterback Dan Prescott said Thursday, via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “He hasn’t lost a step.”

Coach Jason Garrett, who praised Witten in early May, agreed.

“You don’t see many players walking away and coming back,” Garrett said. “And for him to come back and just be in the shape that he’s been in says a lot about who he is and what he’s been able to accomplish over the course of his career.”

Witten retired from football a year ago to enter the broadcast booth on Monday Night Football. After a rough debut season, he opted to return to the Cowboys. In 2019, Witten is expected to operate more like a player-coach, taking limited snaps while providing leadership to a young roster.