Cowboys' Dak Prescott Without Timetable to Resume Throwing After Thumb Surgery

It seemed like Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott might be on the precipice of a return when ESPN's Lisa Salters said on Monday Night Football that he may be back for the Washington Commanders contest in Week 4.

However, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters Tuesday that Prescott "still has some swelling he has to deal with" in his thumb even though the stitches were removed.

"I do not have a timeline for when he will start throwing," the coach added.

Prescott suffered the thumb injury during a Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Cowboys elected not to put him on injured reserve.

There has been nothing but optimism from the Dallas front office on multiple occasions when discussing his potential timeline, but McCarthy's comments are an indication that he won't be taking the field for Sunday's contest against the Commanders.

On paper, Prescott's absence figured to be a major blow.

After all, he is a two-time Pro Bowler who threw for a career-best 4,449 yards and 37 touchdowns last season. He can be one of the best quarterbacks in the entire NFL when healthy and playing at his best, and the Cowboys missed the playoffs entirely when he played just five games in the 2020 campaign.

However, Cooper Rush has more than kept the team afloat during the starter's absence.

Rush won his only start last season and is now 2-0 this year after leading the Cowboys to a victory over the New York Giants on Monday. He has completed 62.7 percent of his passes for 514 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Most importantly, he is avoiding any major mistakes and letting playmakers such as CeeDee Lamb, Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard make plays around him. The defense has also impressed at times with Micah Parsons leading the way.

As long as the Cowboys can maintain that formula, there is no need to rush Prescott back as he recovers from his thumb injury.