Jerry Jones: Dak 'cannot yet grip a football well enough to play'

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

Jerry Jones: Cowboys QB Dak Prescott 'cannot yet grip a football well enough to play'

By Clark Dalton | Last updated 10/4/22

Cowboys starting quarterback Dak Prescott continues to push his recovery from a fractured right thumb, but his status for a Week 5 game at the Los Angeles Rams is uncertain.

On Tuesday on KRLD-FM in Dallas, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Prescott "cannot yet grip a football well enough to play."

"Let's see how this week goes," he added.

Prescott suffered the injury in Week 1 against the Buccaneers. The initial timetable was supposed to be six to eight weeks. Prescott is aiming to return in four weeks, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Cowboys’ QB Dak Prescott, who had the stitches removed from his surgically repaired thumb and began throwing a football this past week, is eyeing next Sunday's game against the Rams for a possible return, per sources.https://t.co/67Kd33p9f5
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 2, 2022

"I don't know that you could make any more progress," said Jones.

Schefter reported Prescott "is progressing nicely," becoming more comfortable gripping and throwing the ball. Head coach Mike McCarthy is not pushing the quarterback even though he's eager for him to return to the field.

"I definitely want to see Dak go through a full week of prep before he plays." McCarthy said in a news conference on Monday.

This may delay his return until Week 6 against the Eagles.

Another reason the Cowboys don't have to rush Prescott's recovery is the performance of backup QB Cooper Rush.

With a win on Sunday, Cooper Rush would become the first #DallasCowboys QB ever to win his first 4 career starts.#NFL pic.twitter.com/rW2MQNK2te
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) October 1, 2022