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Dak Prescott is making good on his promise to help Cooper Rush however he can as the backup passer gets his second pro start Sunday afternoon when the Cowboys host the Bengals.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport reports that Prescott will be on the sideline at AT&T Stadium, wearing a headset during the Week 2 contest so that he can hear the play calls in real time and offer guidance to Rush in between snaps based on what he sees.
Prescott suffered a fracture on the thumb of his throwing hand last week during the fourth quarter of Cowboys’ season opener versus Tampa Bay. Rush came on in relief but was largely ineffective- just as Prescott had been- in the team’s 19-3 loss.
From the podium afterward, Prescott knew that he would need surgery the next day, but was already vowing to take an active role during his rehab in mentoring his 28-year-old understudy, a sixth-year veteran out of Central Michigan who has spent nearly his entire professional career as one of Prescott’s backups in Dallas.
“I’ll be there to support him,” Prescott said of Rush. “I’ll be there to support this whole team, coaching staff, and everybody, through every step. For Coop, he just needs to continue to prepare, continue to approach the way that he has done for five, six, years now. Going back to the end of his rookie year, Coop has always been a guy that I turn to, whether it be this game or whether it’s just for help. Now, I’ll be able to help him in these next several weeks, to hopefully get the best out of him and the best out of this team.”
Prescott underwent a procedure on Monday that required a plate and screws to repair and stabilize the break. The Cowboys elected not to put him on injured reserve so that he would be eligible to rejoin the team and take part in practices prior to the four-game minimum that comes with IR. The club even holds out hope Prescott will be able to return to active duty as early as Week 6.
The two-time Pro Bowler was seen back at practice by midweek and reportedly took part in game plan meetings. He was even seen making some light tosses, albeit with his left hand.
Will Grier is the third-string quarterback in Dallas; he was elevated from the practice squad in order to serve as Rush’s backup for Sunday’s meeting with Cincinnati. Head coach Mike McCarthy, owner Jerry Jones, and executive vice president Stephen Jones all said that they would take a look around the league and at available free agents in assessing whether the club might bring in another quarterback for depth, but as of gameday, the roster features just Prescott, Rush, and Grier.
Only for Week 2, it will be Rush making the handoffs and passes and Prescott working the headset and tablet.
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