Cowboys’ Dak Prescott hoping to return Week 5 vs Rams

The Dallas Cowboys will play their third straight game with Cooper Rush under center on Sunday. And while the focus of the players and coaches is on their opponent, the Washington Commanders, the front office and the fan base is always eyeing the time when Rush returns to the bench. That, of course, is contingent on the availability of franchise quarterback Dak Prescott, who has been out since the fourth quarter of the season-opening 19-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Prescott broke his thumb in that game, requiring surgery. His absence has led to offensive coordinator Kellen Moore switching up the offense and it will be intriguing what it will look like with the more talented Prescott back at the helm. Fans might get their first glimpse of that this coming week. Dallas will next travel to Los Angeles to face the Super-Bowl champion Rams and Prescott could make his return in that contest.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that Prescott is eyeing that game after getting his stitches removed earlier this week. The club also “could push back his return until Week 6 against the division rival Philadelphia Eagles.”

There were several stages to pass through for Prescott to return. First, the swelling from the surgery had to subside. Then the stitches had to be removed. Next, Prescott had to be able to grip the ball and throw it, as the thumb is the underneath support and key to creating spin and velocity. Through all that, the player has to be able to withstand contact to the hand and avoid further damage.

That part has always been the sticking point in the discussion of when Prescott could return. The majority of orthopedic surgeons who have spoken on the injury (note, not the ones who have evaluated his injury or performed the surgery) have spoken to the fact that the bone needs at least four weeks and likely six weeks to stabilize.

If Prescott plays against the Rams that would be four weeks post injury and less than four weeks since surgery. The Eagles game would be five weeks.

Of course, leaving open the possibility for a return is beneficial even if it doesn’t happen. NFL teams only have a certain amount of time to prepare for opponents, and leaving open the possibility that Prescott returns means that Sean McVay and Nick Siriani, head coaches of the Rams and Eagles respectively, will have to spend some of their staff’s preparation time on each guy and how they present different challenges.