Dak Prescott not practicing, eyeing Week 5 return against Rams
After Dallas Cowboys QB1 Dak Prescott fractured his thumb in the brutal Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, we heard all kinds of rumors about when he’d return. Initial reports said six to eight weeks. “Dr.” Jerry Jones then declined that timeline and refused to put Prescott on the IR because he felt his QB1 would be back before Week 6.
Since then, all we have heard is good news about how Prescott is progressing and how things look better than initially thought.
On this week’s Monday Night Football broadcast, No. 4 told Lisa Salters that he wasn’t counting himself out for Week 4 while also accidentally showing off his stitchless thumb to cameras.
Two days later, the narrative seems to be a bit different. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said that the QB1 is not expected to practice on Wednesday and is actually hoping for a Week 5 return.
#Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is not expected to practice today, having just gotten his stitches out of his surgically repaired thumb. This week appears too ambitious though he does have an outside shot for next week vs. the #Rams.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 28, 2022
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott will not throw this week, hoping to start in Week 5 against the Rams
Every team is going to play this game with injured players. No one is going to give an exact timeline for return and the coaches and staff want other teams to be guessing as to who they’ll face. However, it seems the possibility of Prescott playing at all against the Commanders on Sunday is slim to none at this point.
In fact, after Monday night’s game, the 28-year-old walked back on his comments to Salters and told USA Today that he was unlikely to return for Week 4:
"“Nah, probably no. But Week 5 against the Rams? That’s the one I’m looking at.”"
Getting his stitches removed on Monday morning was a great step towards recovery, but being able to grasp and throw a football is the next major marker. According to Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, throwing isn’t even on the table until the end of next week.
You can officially rule Cowboys QB Dak Prescott out of the Washington game, not that there was a realistic chance of him playing anyway. Prescott said he won't start throwing until the end of the week. He has been soft tossing but won't start real throwing until end of the week.
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) September 28, 2022
On Tuesday, head coach Mike McCarthy said Prescott’s next step is to allow the swelling to go down and begin the strengthening stage. Once he can make progress there and move forward with his rehab, the throwing will begin. The Cowboys coach declined to give the media any kind of formal timeline for that start date.
While Rapoport’s tweet only mentions Wednesday’s practice, his saying that it’s “an outside shot” for a Week 5 start seems to imply that Prescott may not participate in practice for this entire week.
For what it’s worth, we think this makes a ton of sense and is the smart move for an injured starting quarterback. Why force Prescott back into the ring early and make him susceptible to further injury against a struggling Washington Commanders team?
Cooper Rush has played surprisingly well in his last two games, becoming only the third player in Cowboys history to go 3-0 in his first three career starts. Rush has thrown for 514 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions in his three appearances this season.
We aren’t saying Rush should be the starter long-term, and neither is the Cowboys coaching staff. It just doesn’t make sense to force Prescott back in a winnable game with a backup who is performing well. Let the man fully heal and let Rush continue to do his thing.
