Cowboys Change Course on Dak Prescott’s Return Date

Getty Cowboys QB Dak Prescott could be back earlier than expected.

The Dallas Cowboys might have some good news when it comes to Dak Prescott’s return.

After Prescott underwent surgery on Monday following a thumb injury suffered against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1, team owner Jerry Jones had some positive news to share — Prescott may be back earlier than expected. According to Jones, the 28-year-old quarterback could be back within the next four weeks, which is why the team is not placing their franchise player on injured reserve.

“If we thought he wasn’t going to be ready to go for four games, after four games, we would be putting him on injured reserve. We’re not doing that. We think he can come in and play.” Jones said on Shan and RJ on Tuesday morning. “We feel very good after surgery, after listening to the medical people that Dak has a real chance to be back out there throwing the ball pretty quick.”

“We think he will be back out there throwing pretty quick,” Jones said, via Cowboys.com’s Patrik Walker. “That’s not being optimistic. That’s us having good surgery.”

Prescott Expected to be Sidelined 6-to-8 Weeks

Placing Prescott on injured reserve would open up a spot on the 53-man roster and automatically rule out the quarterback for the next four games. By not placing Prescott on injured reserve, the Cowboys believe that he has a chance to suit up as soon as Week 5 versus the Los Angeles Rams.

The initial timetable on Prescott’s return had him out for six-to-eight weeks, according to a report from ESPN’s Todd Archer on Sunday, September 11.

“Dak Prescott is expected to have surgery Monday on a right thumb injury and miss 6-8 weeks, according to multiple sources,” says Archer. “He will meet with the team’s hand specialist on Monday, but sources said he will have a pin and plate inserted to stabilize the joint.”

Whether Prescott is out less than four weeks or the eight weeks reported by Archer remains to be seen. One thing that is for certain is that the veteran quarterback will be sidelined for a decent chunk of time, with big games against the Cincinnati Bengals and NFC East rivals such as the New York Giants and Washington Commanders on the upcoming schedule.

Jones: No ‘Potential Trade’ on the Table

With Prescott out for the foreseeable future, Dallas will lean on backup quarterback Cooper Rush to lead the way in the meantime. The former undrafted free agent has just one start and 63 career pass attempts to his name.

Despite his lack of starting experience, Jones is expressing confidence in his 28-year-old quarterback to keep the ship afloat during Prescott’s absence. However, what is also surprising is that Jones basically shut down the idea of adding a quarterback via trade.

“We don’t have any potential trade in the mill,” said Jones. “It’s unlikely you’d have a veteran quarterback who could get back in here and be ready to play as well as those guys could play, even if you thought you might have a talent advantage. The people who are ready to play quarterback for us are the ones who played all preseason for us: Cooper Rush and (Will) Grier.”

Jones took a similar approach to the team’s lack of depth at wide receiver and offensive tackle — with the exception of signing Jason Peters — following abrupt injuries to key players. We’ll see if Jones sticks to this approach at quarterback moving forward.