The Dallas Cowboys had a nightmarish start to their 2022 NFL campaign. Not only did they got destroyed at home by Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in last Sunday's 19-3 loss, but they also lost Dak Prescott to an upper-body injury for multiple weeks.
The impact of Prescott's lengthy absence on the Cowboys can't be understated. But if Dallas fans are looking for anything to alleviate the pain they're feeling over the quarterback's injury, they can take heart in the update provided by Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network that says Dak Prescott could be back as soon as four weeks after undergoing surgery Monday.
“The 4- to 6-week timeline would have Dak Prescott back before the Week 9 bye, perhaps even as soon as an NFC East showdown on Oct. 16 at Philadelphia.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones also said that Dak Prescott won't be hitting the injured reserve, as reported by Jon Machota of The Athletic.
Timetables are always tricky, so it's worth mentioning that there's the possibility that Dak Prescott might need even more time than six weeks to return to active duty for the Cowboys, who will now have to turn to backup Cooper Rush for quarterbacking chores. If anything, Dak Prescott suffered the injury right in the very first week of the 2022 NFL regular season, so his chance of returning in time for the playoffs– assuming of course the Cowboys make it — can be considered high.
The Cowboys could also play it safer and let their bye in Week 9 pass before letting Dak Prescott play again.
For now, Dallas will have to prepare for Week 2's showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals at home with Rush as the placeholder QB1.