Dak Prescott wants to avoid surgery on hamstring and return this season, Jerry Jones says

FRISCO, Texas — Dak Prescott wants to avoid surgery so the star quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys can play again this season after tearing a hamstring, owner Jerry Jones said Friday.

Jones confirmed on his radio show that Prescott's hamstring was partially torn off the bone, an injury known as a partial avulsion.

A full tear of the tendon off the bone requires surgery, and that’s what happened two years ago in training camp when former Dallas left tackle Tyron Smith missed 13 games. In Prescott’s case, Jones said it could be a few weeks before it is known whether surgery will be required.

The injury happened in last week's 27-21 loss to Atlanta. Cooper Rush will start in Prescott's place Sunday against NFC East rival Philadelphia (6-2) with the defending division champion Cowboys (3-5) trying to to stay in the playoff race after qualifying with 12-5 records each of the past three seasons.

“He’s got to have some weeks off of it before he can see if it really does require surgery,” Jones said on his radio show. “He doesn’t want surgery. He wants to be on the field and go for it. He’s weighing that. We’re weighing that.”

Stephen Jones, Jerry's son and the Cowboys' executive vice president of personnel, said on his radio show later Friday that Prescott would be placed on injured reserve. The move will sideline the 31-year-old at least four games, and Prescott is likely to be out longer than that.

“Obviously a tough, tough situation, losing him for that period of time,” Stephen Jones said. “But we're going to do what's in the best interest of Dak and right now I don't think anyone knows whether it'll be four weeks, six weeks or the season.”

Rush was 4-1 as the starter two years ago when Prescott was out after breaking the thumb on his throwing hand in a season-opening loss. Rush also won a game in 2021 when Prescott had a calf strain.

A new element to replacing Prescott is the presence of Trey Lance, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 draft by San Francisco. The 49ers traded him to the Cowboys last year after Lance lost the battle for the backup job, and he has been the third QB for Dallas since then.

Lance took the vast majority of the snaps in the preseason so coach Mike McCarthy and his staff could evaluate a 24-year-old who is on an expiring rookie contract.

McCarthy has indicated he would stick with Rush the same way he has with Prescott, therefore shying away from packages that might incorporate Lance, who is by far the most mobile of the three QBs.

Jerry Jones suggested otherwise on his radio show for an offense that has struggled even with a healthy Prescott and has the second-worst rushing attack in the NFL.

“Oh, there is a window for Trey Lance,” Jones said. “There's packages that we can work on. Let me be clear, that's not just to get Lance some play time. That's to bring to the table some offense for us.”