Dak Prescott appears primed to play his first game for the Cowboys since the team’s season-opening loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday vs. the Lions.
Dallas has been patient with Prescott’s recovery from a fractured thumb to his throwing hand suffered in that game. It was a luxury the team could afford thanks to the efficient, relatively mistake-free play of backup Cooper Rush amid a 4-1 run through the schedule.
Now, it appears Jerry Jones is ready to put the team’s so-called “quarterback controversy” behind him. The Cowboys owner, appearing Tuesday morning on Dallas sports station KRLD-FM, said Prescott is “determined to play.”
“From my perspective, from what I can know and see, I think he’s gonna get there,” Jones told KRLD-FM (via The Athletic). “We feel that physically, he’s at a position that the risk/reward justifies him being out there, in terms of any (recurrence) of the injury.”
MORE: Cooper Rush vs. Dak Prescott stats: Debunking the Cowboys’ ‘QB controversy’ by the numbers
Jones continued, saying any issue of Prescott playing has to do with his preparation as opposed to his recovery.
“So, it’s a question of him getting ready. And he’s going to be given every opportunity this week to get ready to go play. … He had a very impressive throwing session before the game in Philadelphia (a 27-16 loss).
“I think he’ll be back and I think we’ll get to do anything we want to do. No one is more prepared.”
Indeed, Prescott was shown throwing the ball ahead of the Eagles game, in which Rush completed 18 of 38 passes for 181 yards and one touchdown to three interceptions. Whether his struggles against the only remaining undefeated team in the league had any bearing on Prescott’s return is unknown.
On Wednesday, the NFL confirmed on Twitter that he had been medically cleared to play, paving the way for his return in Week 8 after the Cowboys’ bye week.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott (thumb fracture) has been medically cleared to play. pic.twitter.com/x5EPK5MNQP
— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2022
Dallas is likely glad to have the starter back throwing the ball, even as Rush led the team to a 4-1 record as a starter. Prescott is coming off a season in which he led the team to an 11-5 record as a starter and completed 69 percent of his passes for 4,449 and a career-high 37 touchdowns.
Prescott’s return coincides with his team’s game vs. the Lions, who boast the NFL’s second-ranked offense (411.8 yards per game) and third-ranked scoring offense (28 points per game).
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