The 2024 season hasn’t been kind to the Dallas Cowboys. After three straight 12-win seasons, the team fell apart in the playoffs last year, and the downfall continued this season. While the team was trying to find its footing, a massive injury to Dak Prescott derailed all their momentum.
As a result, the season was over for all intents and purposes. Since Week 9, the offense has been a shell of itself, with Cooper Rush managing in Dak’s absence. Here’s the latest on the recently-extended QB and the timeline for his return.
What Is Dak Prescott’s Injury?
The proceedings and the immediate aftermath of the Dak Prescott injury were harsh and bizarre to begin with. During a Week 9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Prescott had to check out from the game, after feeling discomfort in his hamstring.
With the team in a dangerous position at 3-4, wins were extremely necessary. However, rather than checking back in, the QB opted to remain on the sidelines. As a result, comments about his toughness made the rounds, with former Super Bowl Champion James Jones even suggesting that “Dak quit. And it’s crazy because it ain’t even funny though. My man is quitting on these dudes.”
“Dak quit on his team.”@89JonesNTAF reacts to Dak Prescott’s hamstring injury putting him on IR pic.twitter.com/4xUMmnbkka
— The Facility (@TheFacilityFS1) November 5, 2024
As it turned out, the immediate aftermath didn’t tell the entire story about the injury. While Prescott looked relatively risk-free, he was planning on getting it checked out. As he spoke to reporters post-game, a thorough examination was in order.
“Yeah, we gotta get it looked at. Felt it on the little scramble to the left. Felt it, didn’t think much. Then on the next play, throwing that the stop route to the field pulled something. I felt something I never felt. It was tough to walk on it at that point.
“I saw the medical team and asked, ‘Could I make it worse?’ At that point, they said I wouldn’t be able to protect myself and made the call to hold me out.”
The preliminary reports were optimistic, suggesting a 3-4-week return timeline. Immediately, debates about a move to IR were making the rounds. But soon, disaster struck for Cowboys nation. Further tests would reveal that Prescott had suffered an avulsion in his hamstring, meaning that the muscle had partially torn off the bone.
When Will Prescott Return From Injury?
The diagnosis immediately put the Cowboys’ season into disarray. While a regular strain had people expecting Prescott to be back in 3-4 weeks, the avulsion worsened the timeline to the extreme. Now, after surgery on the avulsion, the typical recovery time is around three months in total.
That comfortably puts Prescott out for the season, even if the team was going to make a miraculous run to the playoffs. The decision soon became official, as Dallas decided to put him on IR before Week 12. Now, fans have only the 2025 season to look forward to.
However, there are a few things that the team and fans can be optimistic about. For starters, the injury and subsequent surgery shouldn’t have a major long-term impact. Unlike the 2020 broken ankle, the hamstring should be fully healed and Prescott should be back to his former self by the time the 2025 season rolls around.
Moreover, the three-month time period allows Prescott to be back full-time for offseason workouts as well. When the team begins OTAs, presumably in mid-to-late April after Jerry Jones’ latest comments on Mike McCarthy effectively ending any coaching change dreams fans may have had, Prescott should be ready to go, and 100% for 2025.
How Has Prescott’s Absence Impacted the Cowboys?
Even before Prescott was put on the sidelines, the Dallas Cowboys were having a far-from-ideal season. At the end of that Week 9 loss, the team was at 3-5 and facing an uphill climb to even make the playoffs. In the six weeks since the situation hasn’t gotten much better.
While Cooper Rush has been stable at the position, the softening of the schedule has led them to a 3-3 record, bringing their season to 6-8. However, with all hopes for this season lost, perhaps the team would be better off “tanking” for a high draft position.
The backup QB is familiar with this situation, though. Two years ago, in 2022, the Cowboys were in a similar spot and Rush was a revelation subbing in for Prescott. A thumb fracture on his right hand led Rush to take over QB responsibilities for a 5-game stretch, during which Dallas went 4-1.
PFN’s QB+ metric, which measures QB play by a variety of situational EPA and success rate figures, graded Prescott at a 66.1 (D) grade this year. That was easily his worst since the QB+ metric began in 2019, as he had never graded below 84.5 (B) from 2019-23.
Even so, it’s obvious that none of Dallas’ remaining quarterbacks possess the type of upside that could result in a miraculous late-season surge. Rush himself has posted a 59.7 (F) grade, which ranks 37th out of 40 qualifying quarterbacks.
Other quarterbacks on the Cowboys roster include former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance and six-year veteran Will Grier, who is on the practice squad.
The San Francisco 49ers selected Lance in the 2021 NFL Draft but then traded him to Dallas in 2023 in exchange for a 2024 fourth-round pick. He has four career starts, the most recent of which came in Week 2 of the 2022 season.
With draft positioning now becoming important for the Cowboys, perhaps an extended run for Lance might be their best option for the remainder of the season.
