Dak Prescott wants to avoid hamstring surgery and return this season, says Jerry Jones

FRISCO, Texas (AP) – Dak Prescott wants to avoid surgery so the Dallas Cowboys star quarterback can play again this season after tear a hamstringowner Jerry Jones said Friday.

Jones confirmed on his radio show that Prescott’s hamstring was partially torn from the bone, a condition known as partial avulsion.

A full tear of the tendon from the bone requires surgery, and that’s what happened two years ago in training camp when former Dallas left tackle Tyron Smith missed 13 games. In Prescott’s case, Jones said it could be a few weeks before it is known if surgery will be required.

The injury happened last week 27-21 loss to Atlanta. Cooper Rush will start in Prescott’s place on Sunday against NFC East rival Philadelphia (6-2) with the defending division champion Cowboys (3-5), trying to stay in the playoff race after qualifying with 12-5 records each of the past three seasons.

“He’s going to have a few weeks off it before he can see if it really needs surgery,” Jones said on his radio show. “He doesn’t want surgery. He wants to get on the field and go for it. He weighs that. We weigh that.”

Jones said the Cowboys don’t feel any urgency to put Prescott on injured reserve because they may not need the spot on the 53-man active roster right now. Prescott would be out at least four games after an IR move.

Rush was 4-1 as a starter two years ago when Prescott was out after breaking the thumb on his throwing hand in a season-opening loss. Rush also won a game in 2021 when Prescott had a calf strain.

A new element to replace Prescott is the presence of Trey Lance, the overall number 3 in the 2021 draft of San Francisco. The 49ers traded him to the Cowboys last year after Lance lost the battle for the backup job, and he has been the third QB for Dallas since then.

Lance took the vast majority of snaps in the preseason, allowing coach Mike McCarthy and his staff to evaluate a 24-year-old who is on an expiring rookie contract.

McCarthy has indicated he would stick with Rush the same way he has with Prescott, which is why he’s shying away from packages that might incorporate Lance, who is by far the most mobile of the three QBs.

Jones suggested otherwise on his radio show for an offense that has struggled even with a healthy Prescott and has the second-worst rushing attack in the NFL.

“Oh, there’s a window for Trey Lance,” Jones said. “There are packages that we can work on. Let me be clear, it’s not just to get Lance some playing time. It’s to bring some offense to the table for us.”

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