While the Dallas Cowboys are waiting to find out if Dak Prescott needs season-ending surgery for his torn hamstring, they face a tough situation. They don’t have a healthy quarterback or head coach signed for beyond this season.
The team’s hopes for a fourth straight playoff appearance are almost gone, even if Prescott somehow avoids surgery and comes back.
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones now has to consider the future of head coach Mike McCarthy, especially without Prescott, and the decision on who will back up Prescott next season is also up in the air.
“My criteria has always been how we’re playing,” Jones said after the Cowboys lost 34-6 to Philadelphia on Sunday. “Do we have an edge? Are we fundamentally, are we competitive? Are we competitive when we’re down? Those kinds of things.”
The Cowboys (3-6), who made the playoffs with a 12-5 record the past three seasons, are still winless at home (0-4) and are on a four-game losing streak. They will play against the AFC South-leading Houston Texans (6-4) on Monday night.
Bill Parcells, a Hall of Fame coach who led the Cowboys two decades ago, used to say that a team is defined by its record. Jones still brings up Parcells’ words occasionally.
“Not as much obviously, the score, what does Bill say you are, what the score tells you you are,” Jones said as he talked about assessing McCarthy’s situation. “But still, you look at all of those things and there’s no fairness. Let me be real clear, nobody’s trying to be fair here. We’re trying to win a game. There’s no joy here without winning games.”
Cooper Rush stepped in for Prescott and had a rough game. The hope that he could repeat his 4-1 record from two years ago when Prescott was out with a broken thumb quickly faded. Rush only threw for 45 yards and lost two fumbles.
Trey Lance, who was drafted No. 3 overall by San Francisco in 2021 and came to Dallas in a trade last year, didn’t do much better. He threw for 21 yards with one interception in his first game since throwing five picks in the preseason finale.
A week ago, McCarthy wasn’t ready to talk about bringing in an outside quarterback. But now the issue has become urgent — McCarthy says they’re bringing in a third quarterback — though history shows that adding new players hasn’t always solved the problem.
When Tony Romo broke his collarbone early in the 2015 season, the Cowboys lost all seven games before he returned. After Prescott’s season-ending ankle injury in Week 5 of 2020, they went on a four-game losing streak.
In the past, the Cowboys have tried different quarterbacks to stay in the race: Matt Cassel and Brandon Weeden nine years ago, and Andy Dalton, Ben DiNucci, and Garrett Gilbert during the difficult COVID-19 season.
The Dallas offense was already struggling before Prescott’s hamstring injury in the 27-21 loss to Atlanta just over a week ago.
“We’re gonna have to play better than we’re playing right now,” Jones said. “I don’t know that there’s answers outside the organization, but we’re flat gonna have to play better at all positions.”
