FRISCO, Texas – Will Dak Prescott start Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings?
As of Friday, the answer's still maybe.
The Cowboys are committed to giving Prescott every chance to play Sunday despite a calf strain that has limited his practice work this week. That likely means delaying the decision at least until Saturday, when the team holds its customary light practice before the road trip. Friday is the normal regeneration day for the players.
"We're focused on today," head coach Mike McCarthy said. "Just visiting with (associate athletic trainer/director of rehabilitation) Britt (Brown), he has a plan and has a workload capacity he wants to hit. Regen is a big part of his day based on the work he's done Wednesday and Thursday. We'll just stay on course."
McCarthy said Prescott ramped up his limited practice reps Thursday and felt soreness Friday morning, as was expected. But the work went well.
"He's confident. He doesn't waver," McCarthy said. "He wants to play and he wants to continue to work towards that."
Officially, Prescott is listed as questionable for Sunday. He told reporters Thursday that he wants to play but acknowledged that this is likely a collective decision and he understands that the club must look at the big picture.
Could playing Sunday cause the injury to linger? That must be weighed.
McCarthy agreed.
"It's more than just this game. We're obviously in our seventh game. There's a ton of football left to play," he said. "That's definitely part of the decision, and we're just giving him the time that's needed to take it all in."
At 5-1, the Cowboys currently have a three-and-a-half-game lead in the NFC East with 11 games left.
Speaking Friday on 105.3 The Fan, Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones still sounded optimistic about Prescott's availability against Minnesota but added that it's still yet to be determined.
"I'd like to think Dak can go (Sunday) and will think that," Jones said. "We'll see how things work at practice, but I would say things are looking good right now about Dak.
"I'm not so sure how much of it is want-to on my part or how much of it is factual. We really will need to see come Sunday, and that's a few days away as you know. We'll have to take a good look at it at that time. But he's preparing to play, and he'll be prepared to play, and he's doing really well."
If Prescott doesn't play Sunday, backup Cooper Rush would be in line to make his first career regular-season start. Rush, a five-year veteran, has appeared in six games and completed 1 of 3 passes for 2 yards.
