Dak Prescott injury update: Jerry Jones reveals latest on potential injured reserve stint

Dallas Cowboys (3-5) owner Jerry Jones said Friday the team is undecided about placing quarterback Dak Prescott on injured reserve.

Prescott, who suffered a partial avulsion of his hamstring tendon, which is partially torn off the bone during last Sunday’s 27-21 Week 9 road defeat to the Atlanta Falcons (6-3), would miss a minimum of four games if Dallas puts him on injured reserve. Jones said that Prescott is pushing not to undergo surgery.

“He doesn’t want surgery,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “He wants to be on the field and go for it. We’ll just see how it goes here.”

Prescott is in the midst of an up-and-down year after signing a lucrative contract extension ahead of the season, which made him the NFL’s highest-paid player. He’s completing 64.7% of his passes – the second-worst rate of his career – for 1,978 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Cowboys pondering next steps for injured Dak Prescott

At the time of his injury against Atlanta, Prescott had completed 18-of-24 of his passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. After the game, he said he felt something like never before when he went down and said he wanted to go back in. However, the medical staff told him it’d be best to stay on the sideline.

“I gotta get it looked at,” Prescott said, via Jeff Darlington of ESPN. “Didn’t think much of it — then the next play, I felt a pull. That’s something I never felt. It was tough to walk on it at that point. I asked if I could make it worse. The [medical staff] said I wouldn’t be able to protect myself. I wanted to get out there and compete. I wanted to get out there and fight.”

Stephen Jones, Cowboys executive vice president, said Thursday that Prescott would “more than likely” be on injured reserve by the end of the week.

“More than likely, he’ll be on [injured reserve] by the end of the week,” Stephen Jones said. “We’re just making sure we’re checking all the options. With his situation, it’s probably gonna be one that is gonna take a full four weeks before he could even think about making a return, if not longer… At some point [the injury] could [require surgery]. No one is recommending it now.”

Cooper Rush will get the start under center this Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles (6-2), and presumably for the duration of Prescott’s absence. Rush proved to be a capable backup option after Prescott missed five games during the 2022 campaign with a broken right thumb. The 30-year-old came in and led the Cowboys to a 4-1 record.