FRISCO, Texas – Sounds like Dak Prescott is inching closer toward a return to game action.
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said Monday that he anticipates Prescott being medically cleared "today or tomorrow," which would put him on a path for a "full throwing load" in Wednesday's practice.
Prescott has yet to participate in a full practice since undergoing surgery Sept. 12 to repair a fracture in his right (throwing) thumb. He took a few reps in individual drills last Thursday and went through a pre-game throwing workout at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday night before the Cowboys' 26-17 road loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Prescott, who was inactive against the Eagles, told reporters after the game that his goal is to start against Detroit.
“That’s my plan,” he said. "Obviously, I gotta see the doc — gotta see them. But yes, that's my plan. I plan on getting in my full week of practice."
Earlier this month, McCarthy said he'd like Prescott to get a full week of practice before returning to the lineup. One factor is his ability to take snaps from center, grip the ball and throw it normally and without pain. The other factor is getting his timing back. Monday marks six weeks since Prescott's thumb surgery.
What would McCarthy need to see this week for Prescott to possibly return against Detroit?
"I think the final threshold … you have return-to-play (clearance) but then there's the timing," McCarthy said. "You've got to get the timing. That's for any position. I think when you look at players that return to play, they're cleared medically to play but if you don't totally feel the timing's quite there, they may need another week.
"That's why I think if you look at the regimentation of how we've been bringing Dak back, and obviously following the medical process of it, but we've been trying to do as much throwing and particularly the routes on air and the individual route running as much as we can.
"I think we've checked the boxes, and he's got a plan for tomorrow. I just visited with Dak (on) the number of throws we'll have tomorrow and then we'll spin that into a full throwing load on Wednesday."
Backup Cooper Rush has filled in for Prescott the past five starts, helped the Cowboys (4-2) compile a 4-1 record during that stretch.
