Jerry Jones: Cowboys QB Dak Prescott could return Week 4 vs. Commanders

The Dallas Cowboys elected against putting starting quarterback Dak Prescott on injured reserve due to the thumb issue he suffered during the Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That was an indication that team officials believed Prescott could return to action sooner than later. 

Per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones suggested during a Tuesday appearance on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan that Prescott could be back under center as soon as the Week 4 home game against the division-rival Washington Commanders on Oct. 2. 

"I don’t know that anybody knows [when he’ll be back]," Jones said of Prescott during the segment. "But when he [gets enough strength in his hand], then you’ll probably see some real advancement in his timeline. I don’t know when that is. I do know that with a good airing out last week, everybody recognizes that he’ll be back sooner than later as far as the timeline. It really could be a minimum of two weeks up here in my mind [Washington in Week 4]. Now, that’s very optimistic. But he’s got the kind of repair there that will allow him not to have a lot of fear of re-injuring it. It’s just a question of the grip. But it’s a big question." 

The Cowboys were linked with options such as San Francisco 49ers veteran Jimmy Garoppolo, Mason Rudolph of the Pittsburgh Steelers and free agent Cam Newton but started backup Cooper Rush for this past Sunday's home game against the winless Cincinnati Bengals. Rush completed 19-of-31 passes for 235 yards and a first-quarter touchdown en route to helping the Cowboys secure a 20-17 victory that improved them to 1-1 on the season. 

Rush is on track to start the upcoming "Monday Night Football" showdown at the 2-0 New York Giants. The 28-year-old spent time on the Giants' practice squad in 2020.