Cowboys' Dak Prescott Could Return as Early as Week 3, EVP Stephen Jones Says

Cowboys’ Prescott could return as early as Week 3, EVP Stephen Jones says originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The Dallas Cowboys might not be in a rush, but Dak Prescott could be back on the field soon.

Prior to Dallas’ thrilling 20-17 home win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Stephen Jones, the executive vice president of the Cowboys, said in a pre-game interview on 105.3 The Fan that Prescott could return from hand surgery earlier than expected – maybe even Week 3.

“He’s got a chance, maybe the third or fourth game,” Jones told Kristi Scales on 105.3 The Fan during a pregame interview. “We’ll see what happens.”

The initial prognosis after Prescott’s injury in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reportedly lied between 6-to-8 weeks. But since the damage to the fracture wasn’t as severe, the timeline slightly bumped up to 4-to-6 weeks.

If Prescott is to return early, the Cowboys have two important divisional matchups looming in Weeks 3 and 4. The first is against the New York Giants on the road, but if he’s not ready yet for that, then Week 4 at home against the Washington Commanders could be a real possibility. 

Weeks 5 and 6 feature consecutive road contests against the Los Angeles Rams and another NFC East foe in the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Cooper Rush, Dallas’ current backup, threw for 235 yards on 19 of 31 completed passes and one touchdown against the Bengals in his first start of the season. Despite the promising performance, Jerry Jones said post-game that Rush’s outing won’t affect Prescott’s return timeline. 

Dallas did not place Prescott on injured reserve, so he’s eligible to return whenever the team sees fit.