Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Jerry Jones has been consistently optimistic about Dak Prescott returning from his thumb injury sooner than expected, but the Dallas Cowboys owner says there is one main factor that will determine when Prescott is back.

Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday that Prescott has made “amazing” progress with his recovery from thumb surgery. He expects the quarterback to be able to play in the next week or two, though it is hard to predict exactly when Prescott will be able to grip and throw the ball.

That seems like a pretty significant variable. While Prescott obviously feels great and has hit all his benchmarks, the Cowboys clearly will not have the full picture until he tries to grip and throw. Fortunately for them, they have won both of the games that Cooper Rush started.

Jones previously said he is rooting for Rush to play well enough to create a quarterback controversy. He had extremely high praise for Rush again on Tuesday.

Prescott is not going to lose his job to Rush. What could happen, though, is the Cowboys deciding to be extra cautious with Prescott given that Rush is finding ways to help them win games. You can’t ask for a better situation than that with an injured starter.

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