The Dallas Cowboys suffered a major blow to kick off their promising 2021 regular season. That being a fractured thumb suffered by starting quarterback Dak Prescott late in their home opening game loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week One.
Prescott suffered the injury during the fourth quarter, forcing him to the sidelines and eventually in the locker room for X-rays during the 19-3 blowout to the Bucs. The result of those tests indicated a metacarpal fracture just above the thumb joint in his throwing hand that required surgery to correct.
Prescott would have that surgery the following day, having a plate and screws placed around the fracture, which was described as a clean break. Then he began the journey of rehabilitation in an attempt to get back onto the field as quickly as possible.
While 6-8 weeks was the first estimated time of return, that has seemingly been trimmed to 4-6 weeks because of how well the surgery reportedly went.
Cowboys owner and general manager, Jerry Jones, hopes that return can be even sooner. And it’s one of the reasons the team opted not to place Prescott on Injured Reserve this past week, which leaves the door open for him to return at anytime.
For now, Prescott rehab journey starts with 7-10 days of healing. That according to a recent article written by NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. After that initial healing period, it will typically take 10 days to two weeks to allow the swelling to reduce.
In the final leg of his rehab journey, Prescott will work on his grip strength and begin to test his ability to throw a football. This is the largest portion of the rehabilitation, with an estimated 2-3 weeks before he’s able to attempt a return.
Based on that timeline, fans might not expect to see Dak Prescott back on the field until their Week Six matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles at the earliest. But Prescott is apparently a fast healer. Stay tuned.
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