The Dallas Cowboys suffered two major losses in their regular season opener this past weekend. Not only did the Cowboys lose the game, 19-3, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.. But they lost their starting quarterback, Dak Prescott, for the foreseeable future to a hand injury that required surgery to correct.
On Tuesday, Cowboys owner and general manager, Jerry Jones, appeared on 105.3 The Fan’s Shan & RJ show. During that radio interview, Jones revealed Dallas will not place Prescott on the Injured Reserve list. If placed on I.R., Dak would be required to miss at least four games before making a possible return.
By not placing Prescott on I.R. and keeping him on the active roster, Jones left open the possibility that the seven-year passer could return much sooner than the four to eight week range that many have reported.
” … we won’t be putting [Dak Prescott] on I.R. Which means we want him to be a consideration for playing in the next four games. We will not put him on I.R. … we feel very good after the surgery, after listening to the medical people, that Dak has a real chance to be back out there throwing the ball pretty quick.”
Jerry Jones on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday
That news certainly seemed to shine a much brighter light on a Cowboys’ season which seemed all but lost when Prescott’s injury was first revealed immediately after Sunday night’s game.
And while the team will certainly hope their starting quarterback can recover quickly following the successful surgery he had on Monday to fix his fractured thumb, one Cowboys insider pointed to another possible reason the Dallas brass opted not to place him on Injured Reserve.
During Tuesday’s episode of The Break podcast via DallasCowboys.com, Bryan Broaddus suggested that Prescott isn’t being placed on I.R. so he can fully participate in all team activities.
“If they put [Dak Prescott] on I.R. he can’t be with the team. That’s the big difference right now. The thing about it is if they let it ride, then he can still do things with the team, he can still be part of things. But the I.R. thing will take him out of that opportunity to do that. So, by keeping him on the active list, you’ve given yourself the opportunity for him to be a part of team activities and things like that … I had that explained to me this morning.”
Bryan Broaddus on The Break on Tuesday
With a later clarification from Nick Eatman, Broaddus would go on to explain that being placed on I.R. would restrict Prescott from being on the field specifically during practices and possibly prohibit him from attending meetings while doing his rehab.
During his postgame presser on Sunday night, Prescott expressed his desire to “be there” to support backup quarterback Cooper Rush as well as the entire team “in every which way“. The team’s decision not to place him on I.R. seems to fall under that narrative.
Based on this information, the Dallas Cowboys might have had another reason to keep Dak Prescott off of the Injured Reserve list. While Jerry Jones seems genuine about his hope for Prescott’s possible quick return, the decision to keep him off I.R. might be just as much about letting their franchise quarterback have full access to all team activities rather than solely praying he makes a miraculous return within the next four games.
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