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- Apr 7, 2013
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By Jon Machota
43m ago
Dak Prescott had surgery on his right thumb Monday afternoon. The Cowboys quarterback was originally expected to miss at least a month and possibly two. But Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says that’s no longer the case. During his weekly Tuesday morning appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Jones said Prescott is not going on injured reserve because the team now believes he will be able to return within the next four weeks. A move to the IR would prevent Prescott from playing in the next four games.
“We want him to be in consideration for playing within the next four games,” Jones said. “We feel very good after surgery, listening to the medical people that Dak has a real chance to be back out there, throwing the ball pretty quick. Nobody in medical knows those timelines good, but if we thought he wouldn’t be ready to go until after four games, we would put him on IR. We’re not doing that. We think he can come in and play, so we don’t want to not have him out there practicing, we want him getting prepared. We’ll see how he handles this thing, how it heals, mainly his strength, how he can grip the ball, what his status is.”
The early speculation was that Prescott might not return until the Cowboys traveled to Green Bay in Week 10. They now believe he could be back by Week 4 or 5.
“That’s not being optimistic,” Jones said. “The proof is that we got a good surgery, got a good technique. We feel better about it than we did Sunday night.”
Either way, the immediate focus shifts to who will be replacing Prescott. Cooper Rush will be the starter this week against the Cincinnati Bengals. His backup will be Will Grier, who will be elevated from the practice squad.
The Cowboys were originally expected to move Prescott to the injured reserve and add a third quarterback to the mix. In the 24 hours following Prescott’s injury, names like free agent Cam Newton, the NFL’s 2015 MVP, and 49ers backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo were mentioned most by media members.
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was asked Monday if Prescott’s injury opens up the possibility of trade talks with the Cowboys for Garoppolo.
“Just like all players, we’ll listen to anybody on anything,” Shanahan said. “That never changes for any player or coach. We’ll always listen to anybody.”
But a move like that would cost the Cowboys significant draft picks, which was always a highly unlikely possibility for a team built around drafting and developing.
“It’s unlikely that you’d have a veteran quarterback that could get in here and be ready to play as well as those guys can play,” Jones said Tuesday, referring to Rush and Grier, “even if you thought (that player) might have a talent advantage.”
Rush has been Prescott’s backup for the majority of the past five years. He has appeared in 11 games, completing 38-of-63 passes for 488 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and a 93.9 passer rating. His lone start came in last year’s 20-16 win over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8.
“Coop’s been around here for a long time,” Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said Monday. “We certainly know each other well. He knows the system well. … He’s really smart. He has a great ability to process defenses very quickly, get the ball out of his hand. I think he showed a number of different things that way when he played at Minnesota. When he’s had his moment, he’s taken advantage of it.
“His demeanor is really, really good. He handles the ups and downs that you inevitably go through in a season, a game, all those things. I feel like we’re fortunate to have a guy like that in this situation.”
The biggest difference when Rush started last year is that the Cowboys’ offense was much more dangerous than the group that managed only a field goal against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Two of Rush’s top five targets in that Minnesota game — Amari Cooper and Cedrick Wilson — are playing for other teams. The biggest positive is that Rush seemed to have a good rapport with CeeDee Lamb against the Vikings. Lamb, Dallas’ current No. 1 wide receiver, struggled Sunday, catching only two of his 11 targets for 29 yards. At Minnesota, Lamb caught six of his eight targets for 112 yards.
“(Rush) has been around for a long time,” Cowboys running back Tony Pollard said. “We have a lot of confidence in him. He can make all the throws on the field, make the right reads at the right times. He’s a guy that we definitely believe in.”
Before joining the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2017, Rush was a four-year starter at Central Michigan. He threw for 12,891 yards, 90 touchdowns and 55 interceptions in 50 games. His most notable collegiate performance came in the 2014 Bahamas Bowl. CMU lost 49-48 to Western Kentucky but Rush threw for 485 yards and seven touchdowns while the Chippewas scored 34 points in the fourth quarter.
Rush also gained recognition for his play during his first NFL preseason (2017), completing 38-of-51 passes for 398 yards, six touchdowns, no interceptions and a 135.9 passer rating.
“It’s just game one,” Prescott said after Sunday night’s loss. “Let’s not hit the panic (button) as if we just can’t do anything on offense. We have a great coaching staff, and they’ll get back in there and they’ll find the things we did well. Obviously, the things that we did bad start with the self-inflicting errors. So, we remove those, we give ourselves a better chance. And I know we’ll do that going forward. Our coaching staff will find the best position and best spot to put Cooper Rush in every game.”
