Jerry Jones negates Dak Prescott’s initial timeline, insists Cooper Rush is the answer

Apparently, Jerry Jones is more than just the GM and owner of the Dallas Cowboys. He’s also a doctor (intense sarcasm)!

After Dak Prescott fractured his throwing hand in Sunday night’s abysmal loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the quarterback underwent surgery the next day. The initial timeline, per multiple reports, was that the team hoped to get their QB1 back in roughly 6-8 weeks.

Dr. Jones thinks otherwise.

In an interview with 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday morning, Jones revealed that the Cowboys would not be putting Prescott on injured reserve. Putting a player on IR means that person has to sit out for at least four games. This choice implied that Jones believes No. 4 can return to the field much sooner than the initial timeline window. The Cowboys GM seemed adamant that the 28-year-old would be back within four weeks.

There’s a lot to unpack here. For starters, Jones does not cite any type of information from an actual medical professional to back up this claim. Many believe that this is the front office’s attempt to keep fans hopeful rather than a realistic outlook for Prescott. We know Jones loves to spin a story, spew eternal optimism, and blow smoke.

However, the more important thing to question here is whether or not the Joneses are bold enough to send their QB1 back in the fire before he’s legitimately ready. From what actual doctors are saying, it seems almost impossible for a quarterback to go back to full-contact football after fracturing his hand in four weeks or less. This risk, if Jones is being serious about his claims, could expose Prescott to even further injury.

Jerry Jones is not putting Dak Prescott on IR and will not look externally for another QB for the Cowboys

The next part of the interview should come as a surprise to no one. Jones was very clear about not looking externally for a quarterback to replace Prescott. Even though some have suggested the front office make calls to guys like Cam Newton or Jimmy Garoppolo, the Cowboys owner expressed his confidence in both Cooper Rush and Will Grier.

"“We don’t have any potential trade in the mill. 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.”"

For Prescott’s future and his own safety, we hope that Jones does not try to take the role of doctor in this situation. Being without Prescott is far from ideal, but rushing him back for him to get injured again isn’t any better.

Rush and Grier are still technically on the practice squad, but that will obviously change this week. Rush is expected to start for Dallas on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals at home.

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