DALLAS — It's another early-season devastating injury for the Dallas Cowboys as Dak Prescott will require hand surgery following their Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Bucs at home, 19-3.
Prescott will not be placed on the injured reserve list according to Jerry Jones. If placed on IR, Prescott would have to miss a minimum of four games. By not going on IR, Prescott would be eligible to practice. He can rehab, condition and go through meetings to help out.
Jones said they want to be able to consider playing Prescott within the next four games. But, a source told WFAA on Monday the team expects him to be back within six to eight weeks.
The extended absence of Prescott creates a dismal outlook for the Cowboys going forward, at least offensively, says Locked On Cowboys host Marcus Mosher. Mosher joined the Locked On Sports Today show with Peter Bukowski to give his thoughts on the situation.
SUBSCRIBE to the daily Locked On Sports Today podcast, bringing you expert conversations on the biggest stories in sports, every morning, in under 30 minutes.
"I think the plan was just to tread water with Dak on the field," Mosher said on Locked On Sports Today. "Everything about this team to me was 'let’s try to get through the regular season and sneak into the playoffs and give ourselves a chance.' Without Dak, you’re hopeless. You really are. The offense isn’t good. The offensive line is bad. They’ve got one NFL receiver. The running game was not very good. There’s not an easy fix. You’re going to have to get through the next chunk of games with Cooper Rush or Will Grier at quarterback.”
The Cowboys' offense, after marching down the field on their first possession and kicking a field goal, could hardly make it past the 50-yard-line on Sunday night. Prescott finished 14-for-29 with 134 yards and an interception before exiting the game in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys also had just 71 rushing yards in the game between Elliott, Pollard and Prescott.
After the initial assumptions that Prescott could miss as much time as 8-10 weeks, many called for the Cowboys to explore trades for a quarterback that could potentially fill the gap better than Cooper Rush. One big name being 49ers' former starter, current backup, Jimmy Garoppolo.
“I really don’t think it’s reasonable at all for a couple reasons," Mosher said. "One, Jimmy Garoppolo is very injury prone and he’s missed a ton of time with injuries. On top of that, he hasn’t worked all offseason because of his shoulder. When we last saw him play, it wasn’t like he was great. I don’t think trading for him suddenly makes the Cowboys contenders. So I don’t really understand the point of entertaining that idea.”
Now, it could make things complicated for the Cowboys in evaluating head coach Mike McCarthy if Prescott misses as much as half the season.
“It’s really bleak for the Cowboys," Mosher said. "You’re just evaluating some of your young offensive lineman. You’re hoping some of your young receivers can play better because you’re looking ahead to 2023."
It's not all bad for the Cowboys, who have one of the NFL's best defenders in linebacker Micah Parsons, who led the NFL in Week 1 pass rush win rate and is expected to be a contender for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
No doubt, Dallas will need their defense to carry them through the next month and a half, at least.
SUBSCRIBE to the daily Locked On Cowboys podcast, free and available on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts