Dallas Cowboys: Don’t expect Dak Prescott to return this week

For weeks, Dallas Cowboys fans have patiently awaited the return of their QB1, Dak Prescott. For weeks, Jerry Jones has kept fans on the edges of their seats regarding when that return might be. And for weeks, we’ve been told, “maybe next week.”

Welp, Cowboys Nation, it seems once again it may be next week.

While the Dallas Cowboys want to continue to sell hope to the impatient masses of Cowboys Nation, the reality is Dak Prescott probably isn’t going to play Sunday night in Philadelphia.

While there is some hope, Dallas Cowboys fans shouldn’t expect to see Dak Prescott playing this week against the Eagles.

When asked after Sunday’s win in LA if Dak was going to play this Sunday, Jerry Jones said this:

"“I don’t know,” Jones said. “And he doesn’t either. But it sure is better. We’ve just got to get the spin on throwing.”"

In other words, “maybe?”

Mike McCarthy was more informative in his answers to reporters. According to Jon Machota at The Athletic, McCarthy wants Dak Prescott to go through a full week of practice before he puts him in a game. And since we have yet to see Dak Prescott participate in a single practice since the injury occurred, jumping to full participation this week may be a little farfetched.

Machota, who’s as close to this situation as anyone, said “I think it’s going to be a little too much to ask to expect him to play this week.”

The Dallas Cowboys knew this injury was going to take a long time. They could have placed Dak Prescott temporarily on IR and gained a roster spot in the process, but they didn’t. Why? To keep fans from giving up.

Say what you want about the Joneses business priorities or football acumen, but you can’t say anything bad about their business sense. They needed to keep Cowboys Nation on the hook, and to do that, they needed the possibility of Dak coming back every week.

A medical evaluation is expected Tuesday, so Dak will need to be cleared fully now in order to be a full practice participant like McCarthy wants.

What does this mean for Sunday?

We’ll dive into this as we get closer to game time, but for now just know that the Dallas Cowboys probably won’t have their top signal caller, and as such, shouldn’t expect much from their offense. Under Rush they are ranked at the bottom of the league in many major offensive categories and will need their defense and special teams to carry them once again.

But given the current landscape, there’s an excellent chance Dallas will play Philly three times this season, meaning this matchup on Sunday is the least important of the three.

The Cowboys should, by no means, feel pressured to push Dak before he’s ready. Kellen Moore can save the full offensive playbook for another day.