The Dallas Cowboys could be without starting quarterback Dak Prescott for a while. Team owner Jerry Jones said it was likely Prescott would land on injured reserve due to the hamstring injury he suffered in Week 9.
If he goes on IR, the earliest he could return is in Week 14 for the Dec. 9 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Immediately following the injury, Jones did not provide a timetable for Prescott other than to confirm that the quarterback would not play in their Week 10 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. The three-time Pro Bowler had an MRI on Monday to determine the degree of the injury, and according to CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones, the results indicated a more serious injury than initially feared.
On Wednesday, NFL Media reported that Prescott’s initial diagnosis was a partial avulsion of his hamstring tendon, meaning it is partially torn from the bone. In many cases, surgery is necessary to resolve the problem, but there are some situations in which waiting for the scarring to repair and then strengthen through physical therapy and other methods might work. On Wednesday morning, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said a decision on whether to place the quarterback on injured reserve had not yet been made.
The Cowboys were dominated in their Week 9 game against the Atlanta Falcons, a 27-21 loss. And that was before losing Prescott for most of the fourth quarter to a hamstring injury.
After the match, Prescott gave some insight into how his body felt before leaving the contest.
“I felt something pulling,” Prescott said via The Athletic. “I felt something I’ve never felt,” Prescott added via ESPN. “It will take a lot for me not to be there.”
Prescott was also seen shaking his right hand on the sideline, clearly compromised in both his upper and lower body, which is why Dallas concluded his day was over with 11:40 to go. play. He finished with 133 passing yards and a touchdown — a 3-yard strike to running back Rico Dowdle — on 18 of 24 passes Sunday.
Prescott was replaced by backup quarterback Cooper Rush, an eight-year NFL veteran. Rush has won five of his six starts in place of an injured Prescott, including wins in four of his five starts in 2022 when Prescott was out with a thumb injury. Rush threw a 4-yard touchdown to wide receiver Jalen Tolbert and passed for 115 yards while completing 13 of 25 passes off the bench.
No matter who Dallas’ quarterback was Sunday in Atlanta, beating the Falcons wasn’t in the cards. The Cowboys were 3 for 13 on third down and 1 for 5 on fourth down. Missed tackles and communication issues on defense also crippled the Cowboys’ efforts to play complementary football on Sunday afternoon.
Rush should be expected to take over under center while Prescott remains out, although the team could also opt to turn to third-string quarterback Trey Lance to see if he’s capable to be Prescott’s future replacement.