Cowboys’ Dak Prescott Cleared To Return

OCTOBER 19: As expected, Prescott has officially been cleared to play on Sunday (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Jane Slater). That will allow him a full week of practice as he ramps up to his return against Detroit.

OCTOBER 17: Cooper Rush‘s starter stint is expected to stop at five games. The Cowboys anticipate Dak Prescott will receive clearance Tuesday and return to practice Wednesday, per Mike McCarthy.

The seventh-year veteran has steadily been building toward a return, and although he teased possible Week 5 and Week 6 comebacks, Week 7 against the Lions appears the window for Prescott’s re-emergence. Dak has been out since suffering a thumb injury in Dallas’ opener.

Prescott faced a four- to six-week timetable, and the Detroit matchup stands to bring a return on the back end of that schedule. But a Prescott return will obviously put the Cowboys in a better position to field an upper-echelon offense. Despite Rush’s struggles in Philadelphia, the sixth-year backup still fared better than expected during his stay in Dallas’ starting lineup. He is now 5-1 as a starter. Even factoring in Sunday’s performance, Rush ranks seventh in QBR.

Grip became an issue during the homestretch of Prescott’s recovery, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes grip strength remains one of the final hurdles here. A setback on this front could lead to another Rush start, but Rapoport adds no issues cropped up after Prescott’s pregame throwing session in Philadelphia (video links).

Dallas’ Tony Romo successor began his starter run with 69 consecutive starts but has missed time in each of the past three seasons. Upon returning from his early-season calf injury last year, Prescott finished the campaign with a career-high 37 touchdown passes and led the Cowboys to the NFC East title. This year’s team is 4-2 but now way behind in the division race, thanks to the Eagles’ 6-0 start. But the Cowboys did not fall completely out of the race like they did in 2020, when Prescott suffered a severe ankle injury.

Prescott, 29, is a two-time Pro Bowler and the 2016 Offensive Rookie of the Year. While detractors have certainly emerged, Dak doubles as one of this era’s best draft picks due to the Cowboys landing a franchise passer in the fourth round. This is the second season of Prescott’s four-year, $160MM contract.

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