FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is seeking another opinion while still hoping to avoid season-ending surgery on his torn hamstring, a person with knowledge of the situation said Saturday.
Prescott plans to see a specialist Monday, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because a decision on surgery hasn't been made.
Prescott was injured in last week's 27-21 loss to Atlanta. If surgery is required, it will be the second long-term injury in five seasons for the 31-year-old.
Cooper Rush will start in place of Prescott on Sunday against NFC East rival Philadelphia (6-2).
The defending division champion Cowboys (3-5) are on a three-game losing streak, and Prescott's injury is putting their three-year playoff run in jeopardy. He already is all but certain to miss at least a month.
Prescott was out the final 11 games with a broken ankle in 2020, the most recent season Dallas missed the playoffs. He stayed in the game after injuring the hamstring last weekend but didn't play in the fourth quarter.
Hours before the season opener, Prescott agreed to a contract that made him the first player to earn an average of $60 million per year. That $240 million, four-year deal kicks in next season.
The Cowboys were struggling on offense even with a healthy Prescott, and Rush won't have the same players around him that he did two years ago when he went 4-1 filling in for the 2016 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. Prescott broke a thumb in the 2022 season opener.
Dallas' offensive line is young and inconsistent, and the Cowboys have the second-worst rushing offense in the NFL.
It will be the seventh career start for Rush, a 30-year-old undrafted player in his eighth season out of Western Michigan. He also won a game in 2021 when Prescott had a calf strain.
“You play a ton of ball in college, it’s stuff you’ve been doing your whole life,” Rush said. “Trust who you are, and the system is the system. You do what you’re supposed to do. You do what you’re coached to do.”
While the Cowboys are without Prescott, star pass rusher Micah Parsons is expected to return against the Eagles after missing four games with a high ankle sprain.
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Maaddi reported from Clearwater, Florida.
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Schuyler Dixon And Rob Maaddi, The Associated Press
