Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will need season-ending surgery to fix a partial tear of his hamstring tendon, ending his season and possibly hurting the team’s chances of making the playoffs.
Owner Jerry Jones said Prescott is scheduled to have surgery on Wednesday in New York.
Jones also shared on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas that quarterback Cooper Rush will start in Monday’s game against the Houston Texans. Trey Lance will be the backup quarterback, and the Cowboys plan to add quarterback Will Grier to the practice squad.
Jones gave an update on Prescott’s surgery, saying, “He had a good visit last night and he wants to do that there, and he’s got great medical doctors up there. His prognosis is wonderful, it just means we’re not going to have him the rest of the year.”
Prescott, who signed a four-year, $240 million contract extension in September, was the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history at the time. This season, he threw for 1,978 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions in 8 games.
Last year, Prescott led the NFL with 410 completions and 36 touchdowns. He passed for 4,516 yards over 17 games as the Cowboys finished the regular season with a 12-5 record.
A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Prescott has a career record of 76-46 in 122 starts since being drafted by Dallas in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He has thrown for 31,437 yards, 213 touchdowns, and 82 interceptions.
Cooper Rush struggled in his first start of the season last Sunday, just one week after Prescott injured his hamstring during the third quarter of a 27-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Rush completed 13 of 26 passes for 45 yards and lost two fumbles as Dallas lost its fourth straight game, 34-6, to the Philadelphia Eagles.
In the fourth quarter, Rush was replaced by Lance, who went 4-for-6 for 21 yards but threw an interception in his first regular-season game since being traded to the Cowboys in 2023.
But the Cowboys (3-6) are turning back to Rush to start Monday’s game against the Texans (6-4).
Jones explained, “Because Cooper has shown that he has the capability to compete and win games. And he does give us our best chance. Frankly that was really an out-of-character game for him based on what we’ve seen.”
Rush, 30, has completed 35 of 62 passes for 212 yards and 1 touchdown in parts of five games this season.
He has a career completion rate of 59.7%, throwing for 1,831 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions in 31 games (7 starts) with the Cowboys.
Grier, 29, was with the Cowboys in 2021-22 before being cut before the 2023 season. He completed 28 of 52 passes for 228 yards in two starts with the Carolina Panthers in 2019.
