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Adam Schefter, ESPN Senior Writer
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is planning to undergo season-ending surgery on his partially torn hamstring, pending the opinion of one final specialist, sources told ESPN.
Prescott is flying to New York early next week to meet with the specialist, but Cowboys doctors and trainers already believe he needs the surgery that would sideline him for four months, sources told ESPN. If the specialist agrees with that assessment, the surgery is scheduled to take place Wednesday, according to sources.
The Cowboys believe it is better to address the injury now than to let it heal on its own and encounter complications later. Speaking Friday on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Prescott wanted to avoid surgery. In recent years, he has undergone surgeries on right ankle, right thumb and left shoulder.
But Dallas also knows and understands the reality of its situation. The Cowboys are 3-5 headed into Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) with quarterback Cooper Rush slated to replace Prescott and make his first start of the season.
If Dallas fails to win Sunday, it would be 3-6 and at least four games behind division leaders Washington and Philadelphia. The Cowboys know they’re not far from putting their emphasis on making sure that Prescott is fully healthy for the 2025 season.
Either way, Dallas is expected to place Prescott on injured reserve next week. The Cowboys did not place Prescott on IR on Saturday with the partial avulsion of his hamstring, which means the earliest now he could return would be Dec. 15 against the Carolina Panthers, if the team makes the roster move next week.
Multiple sources said Prescott will need 6-8 weeks to recover without surgery. But surgery now is in the plans, pending the specialist’s opinion.
The Cowboys did not need Prescott’s spot on the 53-man roster for Sunday’s game against Philadelphia. Instead, he will be among the team’s inactive players.
Rush will start at quarterback against the Eagles with Trey Lance as the backup. Mike McCarthy said the team is considering adding a quarterback to the roster, either the active roster or practice squad with Prescott out.
The Cowboys don’t feel like they have to change their offense for Rush. When Rush was under center for the Cowboys the last time Prescott was injured and missed time, they didn’t score more 25 points in a game, but their defense allowed an average of just over 15 per game.
There also remains the strong possibility that the Cowboys will deploy certain packages that use Lance. Interestingly enough, both Rush and Lance are in the last year of their contracts, playing on expiring deals.
This is expected to mark the second time in his career that Prescott ended the season on injured reserve. In 2020, he suffered a dislocation and compound fracture of his right ankle in Week 5.
The Cowboys also elevated cornerback Josh Butler and wide receiver Jalen Cropper from the practice squad. Cornerback Trevon Diggs, who did not practice Friday because of an illness, was able to get work in Saturday.
ESPN’s Todd Archer contributed to this report.
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