Jerry Jones: Cowboys won't place Dak Prescott on IR; optimistic QB can return within four games
After Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott underwent surgery to the thumb on his throwing hand Monday, injured reserve seemed inevitable.
Or not.
Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said Tuesday morning that Prescott will not go on injured reserve in hopes he could play in the next four weeks. A player must miss at least four games once placed on IR. No matter that Prescott exited the game Sunday night unable to grip the ball due to a fracture above the joint of his thumb.
“We will not put him on IR,” Jones said Tuesday morning on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan. “If we thought he wasn’t going to be ready to go until after four games, we’d put him on IR. We’re not doing that. We don’t want him not out there practicing. See how he handles this thing, how he heals, mainly his strength how he can grip the ball.
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“That’s not being an optimist: The proof is we’ve got a good surgery, good technique and feel better about it than we did Sunday night.”
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott "very capable of coming past this injury & having a great season," Jerry Jones tells @1053thefan. "A great season, I emphasize that. & that’s not selling."
"Let’s hold what we’ve got, get this plane landed right now, patch up the holes & come back at em."— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) September 13, 2022
The Cowboys host the Bengals, visit the Giants, host the Commanders and visit the Super Bowl defending-champion Rams in their next four contests. Fifth-year pro Cooper Rush will prepare to start those games, and veteran practice squad member Will Grier will back him up.
The Cowboys' offense sputtered in a 19-3 loss to Tampa, even with Prescott healthy for more than three-and-a-half quarters. Jones emphasized his concern with Dallas’ 3-of-15 conversion rate on third down and 10 penalties.
The Cowboys will not trade for a veteran quarterback in Prescott’s absence, per Jones.
“We don’t have any potential trade in the mill,” he said. “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.”
Stephen Jones tells @1053thefan Cowboys “very confident” QB Dak Prescott will be back, “we just don’t know that time frame.”
Big-picture concern? “I think Dak is built to last. Those hand injuries with quarterbacks in pockets are tough ones. I don’t think he’s injury-prone.”— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) September 12, 2022
Prescott didn’t miss a game his first four pro years. Since then: He missed 11 games in 2020 after a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle that required surgery. Last year, he missed four weeks of training camp with a latissimus strain near his throwing shoulder and another game after a midseason calf strain (Rush started and quarterbacked a win).
Are the Cowboys concerned Prescott is becoming injury-prone?
“I see where you could point to that, but I do not think that’s the case,” Jones said. “I’ve always thought one of his strengths is his durability. He’s strong, big, thick, all of that.
“I’m not concerned. I know that injury, I know how susceptible quarterbacks are to that injury. I think we’re in good shape there relative to his status.
“We feel very good after surgery and listening to the medical people that Dak has the chance to be back out there throwing the ball pretty quick."
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Jori Epstein on Twitter @JoriEpstein.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dak Prescott to IR? Jerry Jones says no, optimistic for quick return
