Dak Prescott is set to make his long-awaited return to the Dallas Cowboys. The Pro Bowl quarterback, who has been sidelined since the opener after fracturing his right thumb, told reporters Thursday that he is playing on Sunday when the Cowboys play host to the Lions in Week 7.
This comes after Prescott was medically cleared earlier this week and was a full participant in practice both Wednesday and Thursday. When he steps onto the field Sunday to officially mark his return, it’ll snap a five-week absence. He suffered that fractured thumb in Dallas’ Week 1 loss to the Buccaneers and underwent surgery to repair the injury on Sept. 12.
“I’m still going to do some things to make sure that it doesn’t flare up or something unexpected happens,” he said, via the official team website. “I’m not just going to act like I didn’t have a broken bone a few weeks ago.
“But for the most part, I’m healthy, it feels good. [I can] grab the ball. Ball is comfortable in my hand. My grip is great. And yeah honestly, putting it behind me and just focusing on this game plan and doing the best I can.”
When it comes to the potential use of a brace or a splint on that thumb during the game, Prescott added that he’d likely only use tape, but that would be more for comfort rather than any form of protection.
Head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters on Wednesday that Prescott looked “very good” and he’d ramp up his throws as the week progresses. He’s also looking for Prescott to get back into a good rhythm with the offense, which is something challenging especially after an extended absence.
“It’s a challenge to grab that in this short a period of time. There’s no question,” McCarthy said, via ESPN. “But I think that’s why really putting the ceiling on the workload is important because Lord knows he would throw 140 [Wednesday] if you’d let him. We just got to be smart about that and trust the medical process that he’s going through.”
Prescott returns to a Dallas team that was not only able to stay afloat in his absence but compiled a 4-1 record to sit at 4-2 on the season. That has the Cowboys in a prime position to contend in the NFC East going forward and duke it out for a playoff spot in the NFC going forward.
