Cooper Rush named Cowboys starter in light of Dak Prescott injury

With the news Sunday evening that Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will need surgery and miss several weeks after suffering a hand injury, Cooper Rush will take over as the starter. Dallas owner Jerry Jones confirmed the plan, saying the team will need Rush to “step up” in Prescott’s absence.

“We’ll have to have Cooper (Rush) step up,” Jones said according to The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “He’ll get all the reps and we’ll go from there.”

Prescott exited the game late in the fourth quarter after taking a hit to his throwing hand. He came out during the drive and was examined by medical staff on the sideline while Rush came in to relieve him. Prescott later jogged off the field and back to the locker room, where he received X-Rays.

Rush finished the contest 7-of-13 passing for 64 yards as the Cowboys lost 19-3. A Central Michigan product, he started one game last season against Minnesota when Prescott was out due to injury. Cooper Rush went 24-of-40 passing for 325 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 20-16 Cowboys victory.

Now as he prepares to lead the offense for the foreseeable future, he’ll hope to build upon that performance. Following the loss to Tampa Bay, Dallas will look to bounce back in a Week 2 matchup against Cincinnati at 3:25 p.m. CT next Sunday.

Dak Prescott will require surgery, miss several weeks with hand injury

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones provided a grim update on Prescott’s status going forward.

“Dak Prescott (hand) will be out for a while, according to Jerry Jones,” The Atheltic’s Jon Machota tweeted. “Several weeks. He needs surgery.”

The injury is said to be to a joint above the thumb in Prescott’s right hand, also his throwing hand.

Prescott exited the game late in the fourth quarter after taking a hit to his hand. He came out during the drive and was examined by medical staff on the sideline while Cooper Rush came in to relieve him. Prescott later jogged off the field and back to the locker room, where he received X-Rays.

It wasn’t a great performance for Prescott prior to his injury. The quarterback completed less than half of his passes, going 14-of-29 for just 134 yards and an interception. Dallas failed to score a touchdown all evening and dropped the game to Tampa Bay by a score of 19-3.

“Real disappointed before Dak’s injury,” Jones said. “And certainly disappointed after it.”

Prescott is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, throwing for a career-high 37 touchdowns and 4,449 yards along with 10 interceptions. He helped lead the Cowboys to a 12-5 regular season record, though they lost to San Francisco in the wild-card round of the playoffs.