During Sunday night's embarrassing 19-3 home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Dallas Cowboys took a big hit when their quarterback Dak Prescott left the game with a thumb injury.
Prescott was hit in the fourth quarter by Shaquil Barrett and suffered a fractured right thumb. The surgery required a plate and screws to repair and stabilize the fracture.
It was initially reported that Prescott was expected to miss six to eight weeks.
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Cowboys owner Jerry Jones elected not to put Prescott on injured reserve, as he thinks he could return much sooner. On 105.3 The Fan, Jones said that Prescott could return after the next four games.
ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsy spoke on NFL on ESPN about the injury Prescott suffered. He doesn't think that the Cowboys quarterback can return that quick.
Orlovsky pointed out that after four weeks of recovery from a similar injury that he himself sustained, he couldn't even grip a football.
"I did this injury. I think at like 28, I did this. I had to get surgery on it, I had to get metal put into the joint of it. So I think I kid myself when I came back at like four weeks fooling myself and coaches and I could throw in practice like I was fine, whatever.
"And then I got into a game and in the moment where I like had actually gripped down on the ball and ripped something into a tight window. I just remember thinking to myself, I have nothing in my hand. I don't think there's any chance that he plays in four weeks in football again… I couldn't grip the football."
Cooper Rush will take over as the Dallas Cowboys quarterback with Dak Prescott sidelined
While Dak Prescott recovers from his thumb injury, backup quarterback Cooper Rush will take over.
Rush was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys in 2017. He signed with the Giants in 2020, before being released ahead of the start of the regular season. He then re-signed with Dallas and has completed seven out of 13 passes for 64 yards in his career.
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