Dak Prescott is set to be placed on injured reserve as the Dallas Cowboys quarterback will need up to eight weeks to recover from his hamstring injury.
Last week, Prescott suffered a partial avulsion of his hamstring in the dispiriting 27-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Given the severity of his injury, the three-time Pro Bowler is reportedly looking at between six and eight weeks in recovery.
This means Prescott may be out for the rest of the season, as the franchise could decide to sit him if their postseason hopes are over. The injury undoubtedly affects the Cowboys hopes of reaching the playoffs, with Cooper Rush set to lead the team as Prescott faces time on the sidelines.
Speaking on ‘105.3 The Fan’ on Friday, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said: I think it’s probably no way he can be back in the four-week timeframe, so we’ll put him over there and we’ll have that roster spot to use in terms of the next four weeks and go from there. Obviously a tough, tough situation, losing him for that period time, but we’re going to do what’s in the best interest of Dak and right now I don’t think anyone knows whether it’ll be four weeks, six weeks or the season. We’ll just have to continue to monitor that and see where it takes us.
Prescott, who sought multiple opinions on his injury, is expected to land on injured reserve this weekend to allow the Cowboys to elevate a player from the practice squad to the active roster. Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones told ‘The Fan’ it is unclear if the 31-year-old will require season-ending surgery; in 2022, left tackle Tyron Smith suffered a full avulsion of his hamstring just before the start of the season and missed 13 games.
He’s got to have some weeks off of it before he can see if it really does require surgery and so he doesn’t want surgery, the 82-year-old said. He wants to be on the field and going for it. And so he’s weighing that, we’re weighing that and we’ll just see how it goes here.
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If Prescott is added to injured reserve this weekend, he will be out for at least the next four games. Theoretically, his earliest return game would be against the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 9, although he is expected to need more recovery time. Given the Cowboys are 3-5, the NFC East franchise could be well out of the postseason picture by the time Prescott takes the reins.
Well aware it’s there, well aware it could happen, Jones added. But that type of thinking hasn’t entered into it.
The injury is a devastating blow for the Cowboys. In September, the franchise agreed to terms on a four-year extension worth $240 million, and the average of $60 million a year gives Prescott the highest average annual value in NFL history.
But all hope is not lost. In 2022, Prescott suffered a broken right thumb in a season-opening defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Rush saved the Cowboys’ season by going 4-1 as the starter. In six starts, Rush has seven touchdown passes and four interceptions. For his career, he has completed 165 of 275 passes for 1,786 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions.
Rushs Cowboys are next in action against the 6-2 Philadelphia Eagles in a division showdown at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 10.