Dak Prescott practices Wednesday, Cowboys’ McCarthy also prepping Cooper Rush for Week 8

Mike McCarthy will work both QBs until a decision is made on Dak Prescott’s calf injury, though reports from his first practice were good. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy opened his Wednesday press conference by telling assembled reporters that quarterback Dak Prescott’s right calf “has improved every day” since he strained it on the final play of the team’s overtime win in Week 6 versus New England.

He outlined the plan for working Prescott back into practice starting with Wednesday’s session, talked about the mutual trust that Prescott and Cowboys associate athletic trainer and director of rehabilitation Britt Brown share in progressing through adversity, and even told a story about how Aaron Rodgers played through a similar calf injury in 2014 during McCarthy’s time with the Packers.

And then he casually dropped the nugget that the team is simultaneously getting backup Cooper Rush ready to, possibly, make his first NFL start in Minnesota on Sunday night.

DakWatch: The 2021 Calf Edition has officially begun.

Prescott did take the practice field at The Ford Center on Wednesday, starting off with a long stretching and light-movement warmup period, with McCarthy and Cowboys vice president of player personnel Will McClay watching.

“He’s so driven. He’s always going to push through,” McCarthy said of Prescott. “There’s a tremendous history there that you have to tie in. Britt and Dak have a tremendous history and relationship, so I feel like we’ll be on the same page with how he progresses through this. He’s going to do everything he can to play on Sunday. That’s a given.”

Brown’s voice will be a key factor in determining Prescott’s readiness for the Week 8 contest. As McCarthy had alluded to, he has a close relationship with Prescott and was instrumental in getting the quarterback healthy after last year’s ankle dislocation. He also played a large role in rehabbing Prescott throwing shoulder after he strained it in the offseason.

“We don’t want this to be a week-to-week situation,” McCarthy said. “We’re going to trust Britt and Dak and the whole process and make the right decision.”

Prescott went on to participate in most of the QB drills on Wednesday, appearing to jog without any visible limp. He didn’t seem to favor one leg over the other or appear to be compromised while throwing in the portion of practice that was open to the media.

Michael Gallup, himself returning from a calf strain, was one of Prescott’s targets Wednesday, as was CeeDee Lamb.

Lamb said after practice, “We’re planning for [Dak] to be out there Sunday. And even if he’s not, we’re prepared for whoever’s up next. But I’m just about 90% sure that he’s going to be out there.”

That sliver of doubt, though, means Rush will be getting extra work this week, in case he has to come on in relief.

“I just think it’s a matter of trying to make sure Cooper is ready,” McCarthy explained, “and to make sure Dak is getting what he needs until, really, Dak clears the threshold of the rehab component with Britt. We won’t make that determination on if he’s a full go until we get to that point. So we’ve got to make sure we’re getting Cooper ready, too.”

McCarthy failed to elaborate on what exactly “the threshold” is. While he acknowledged that a quarterback can theoretically play through a calf strain more easily than, say, a running back or wide receiver, the coach also intimated that the club wouldn’t be taking any unnecessary chances in Week 8 of a 17-game season.

“I went through something similar back in 2014 with Aaron Rodgers,” McCarthy recalled. “He actually hurt it later in the year and we were dealing with this in the playoffs, so obviously a different time of year.”

Rodgers played that January day in Seattle, going 19-of-34 passing and even ripping off a 12-yard run in Green Bay’s overtime loss to the Seahawks. But the passer limped noticeably throughout the game and was clearly not at full-strength.

McCarthy continued, “It was difficult. The weather was different, two outdoor games, then played up in Seattle there in the NFC Championship Game, so yeah, that was a challenge. But it was January. It was a different time of year and had some different circumstances.”

This Halloween night’s matchup between the Cowboys and Vikings carries nowhere near that kind of significance, but expect the Dallas fanbase and the national media to breathlessly turn Prescott’s latest rehab effort into a week-long game of will-he-or-won’t-he anyway, as the world waits for a dramatic decision that could- the story will undoubtedly go- have serious implications on the Cowboys’ promising 5-1 start to the season.

Or just take NFL insider Jane Slater, who knows Prescott and the Cowboys as well as nearly any reporter working today, at her word:

“I would be shocked,” she said Wednesday on NFL Network, if Prescott didn’t play Sunday.

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Cowboys’ Jerry Jones says Prescott’s calf ‘not even in my thought process of things to worry about’

The Cowboys owner is “much less” concerned about his QB’s current calf strain than he was the shoulder strain suffered during camp. | From @ToddBrock24f7

To be clear, Jerry Jones does not have a medical license. But as the owner of the most valuable sports franchise on the planet, one can be reasonably sure that the 79-year-old billionaire keeps a close eye on his biggest investments. If an oil well has run dry, he knows about it. If a company he has a controlling interest in is foundering, he knows about it. If a blue-chip stock is no longer paying dividends, he knows about it.

Jones can’t talk about quarterback Dak Prescott’s right calf in the kind of detail that a doctor or a physical therapist or a member of the Cowboys medical staff might. But it’s highly probable that if there were a significant chance of the team’s $160 million man not being ready for a primetime meeting with the Minnesota Vikings in five days, Jones would absolutely know about that, too.

But speaking Tuesday with Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan, Jones didn’t sound like a man who’s worried about his quarterback situation.

“Based on what you saw yesterday, that was very encouraging,” Jones began. He was referring to the team’s Monday return to The Star, when Prescott showed up without his protective boot, joked briefly with reporters, and apparently did some throwing in a closed session.

“But those things have to be monitored,” the owner continued. “We’ve got a solid week, which is great to monitor that. I thought [right guard Zack] Martin had a good description of it when he had the calf tear last year. He said some days it feels great, and then it feels like you got run over by a bulldozer the next day. But still, I feel very good about where Dak is right now.”

Good enough that there hasn’t been a peep about the team trading for or bringing in a veteran quarterback just in case.

Cooper Rush is listed as the Cowboys’ QB2 on the depth chart, with Will Grier behind him. Rush has not attempted a pass in a regular season game since November 2017 and is a career 1-for-3 passing for 2 yards. Grier started the final two games of Carolina’s 2019 season; the Panthers were outscored 80-16 in those contests.

Suffice it to say the Cowboys would be a vastly different team this Sunday night without Prescott. Still, with a 5-1 record and already a commanding lead in the NFC East, perhaps Dallas doesn’t need to hurry Prescott back into action?

The situation resembles training camp, when Prescott strained a throwing shoulder that kept him out of the team’s first padded practice. The Cowboys insisted the injury was not serious, yet they held him out of the entire preseason and didn’t let him throw at all for the majority of camp. The cautious approach paid off; Prescott came out on fire in the season opener and hasn’t cooled off since.

Prescott spent the bye week rehabbing after an “optimistic” MRI, with he and the team brushing off any visible concern. Still, he was shut down for a week. And held out of real practice on Monday. It’s the same easing-back-in process.

Resting Prescott for exhibitions in August is one thing. Shelving him for a conference game in the middle of a potential MVP campaign and legitimate playoff run is a very different proposition.

“We had less of it, but [had] some of this thinking early when we were thinking about his shoulder,” Jones recalled. “The idea then was: don’t be pennywise and pound-foolish. And make sure you feel good about his ability to not- as you much as you can- about his ability not to reinjure. That’ll be the key.”

In the grand scheme of things, Jones says the summer’s shoulder issue was far more worrisome than the current calf problem.

“Much less,” Jones said flatly. “Much less. Not even in my thought process of things to worry about.”

Jones is no doctor. But he’s also not an Oscar-caliber actor. If Prescott were in real danger of missing Sunday’s game, Jones would arguably be spinning a much different-sounding tale this week.

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Report: Prescott to miss Monday practice; Cowboys eye Week 8 return

NFL Network sources say Prescott has been rehabbing and will return to practice Wednesday, with the team taking a cautious approach. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys don’t have a game to gear up for in Week 7, but they have a big name on the injury update list nonetheless as 22 other teams get ready to take the field on the penultimate Sunday in October.

Dak Prescott, who suffered a calf strain while making the game-winning throw in the Cowboys’ win last week in New England, is expected to be ready for game action when the team next lines up next Sunday night in Minnesota. But he likely won’t practice with the offense on Monday when the team returns from their bye week break, and the team will monitor him closely when he returns to practice Wednesday. That news comes from Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, citing NFL Network sources.

The report likens Prescott’s current calf injury to the strained throwing shoulder he suffered during training camp; the team will take a cautious approach with him now as they did then so as to not aggravate a minor injury and turn it into something more substantial by working him back too soon.

Prescott spent most of the bye week in Dallas, according to the NFL Network insiders. He participated in rehab activities at The Star in Frisco with team director of rehabilitation Britt Brown and head athletic trainer Jim Maurer. The work has involved a lot of footwork drills and running while in the pool, but Prescott has yet to do much on solid ground.

Prescott wore a walking boot to his postgame press conference after the 35-29 walk-off win, but joked about it being merely a conversation starter for reporters. He got an MRI on Monday following the game; the team was said to be “optimistic” about both the results and his availability for Week 8.

All indications are that Prescott is trending toward that optimism being well-founded.

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Cowboys’ Dak Prescott downplays calf injury, walking boot, MRI: ‘Have fun with it this week’

Prescott wore a walking boot Sunday night and will get an MRI on Monday, but says he could’ve kept playing had he needed to vs the Pats. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Dak Prescott signed a lucrative endorsement deal with the Jordan Brand as he rehabbed from injury during the offseason. But following the biggest win yet of his comeback campaign, a walk-off overtime win over the New England Patriots, the Cowboys quarterback was sporting a rather generic- and somewhat concerning- choice of footwear when he addressed the media after the game.

“I figured we weren’t playing for a week, so I would give you guys something to talk about and speculate on this time. So there you go,” Prescott joked in explaining the plastic walking boot immobilizing his right foot. “Might get Jordan to make one of these.”

Prescott will get an MRI on Monday, according to the team. The passer reportedly suffered a calf strain on the final play of the contest, a 35-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb that ended the rollercoaster ride in Foxborough in dramatic fashion, giving Dallas a 35-29 victory.

“The last throw, I just came down funny,” Prescott confirmed. “That’s what it was. Something that will be checked out. I’ll be fine, I can promise you that. Great time to be going into the bye week. As I said, you all can have fun with it this week.”

As ESPN’s injury analyst Stephania Bell explained on Twitter, “Walking boot has an elevated heel. Helps rock foot forward when walking thereby decreasing work of calf (doesn’t have to push off). Smart proactive move, even if not serious.”

Prescott felt good enough to do a postgame interview with CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson in the moments after the injury. But he was noticeably limping on the field after the game went final, and received assistance from running back Ezekiel Elliott getting back to the visitors locker room.

Yet the veteran in his sixth season says he could have played on had the game not ended when it did.

“For sure,” he told reporters. “It was a little pain, but, for sure I would’ve been able to keep going. Obviously, I think the adrenaline would’ve been up and [I] may not have even felt it at the time. I think at the time you relax you’re like, ‘Oh, there it is.'”

The 28-year-old, in his sixth game back after an eleven-month recovery from a brutal right ankle dislocation and compound fracture admitted that last year’s injury colored his immediate reaction to feeling something “funny” when he came down on the same leg on the last play of Sunday’s game.

“Yeah, it’s like, ‘No way.’ Life keeps throwing punches, and I’m going to keep throwing them back,” Prescott said. “It’s part of it, it’s part of this game. It’s a physical game we play. As I said, I’ll be fine. I’ve got a lot of confidence in myself and the medical team. As I said, I feel good; obviously, this is a precaution… It doesn’t hurt as bad, obviously, when you score and you win the game.”

Dr. David Chao, sports medical analyst for SiriusXM Radio, said in a YouTube update, “I do not see a significant calf strain,” based on video of the play in question. He pointed to an Instagram clip that showed Prescott taking “many further steps” after landing awkwardly as he made the game-winning throw. “I have reasonable confidence that Dak will be fine,” Chao said, for the team’s next game.

The Cowboys are off in Week 7. Their next game comes October 31 in a Sunday night meeting with the Vikings in Minnesota.

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Report: Cowboys WR Michael Gallup to miss 3-5 weeks with calf strain

The Dallas wide receiver left Thursday’s game in the third quarter with what was called an ankle injury; now it’s been called a calf strain. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Cowboys fans have been eagerly awaiting a fully-healthy Dak Prescott slinging it around the yard once again to his three-headed monster at wide receiver. Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup pose a unique challenge to opposing teams, as each has the ability to break out and take over a game. Focus too hard on one, though, and the others are waiting to make a defense pay.

But someone else will have to step up and sit in as a temporary member of the pass-catching trio in Dallas. Michael Gallup will reportedly be out three to five weeks with a calf strain he suffered in Thursday night’s season opener, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.

Gallup caught four balls in Week 1, racking up 36 yards on 12 targets before leaving the game late in the third quarter with what was called an ankle injury at the time.

Cedrick Wilson saw increased action in relief of Gallup and ended the night with three receptions for 24 yards.

This was to be a big year for Gallup, the former third-round pick from Colorado State. The fourth-year receiver is in the final season of his rookie contract, with many speculating that the Cowboys will be either unable or unwilling to retain the threesome of Cooper, Lamb, and Gallup beyond 2021.

Now it seems Gallup will have slightly fewer chances to either prove his worth in Dallas or increase his stock with a prospective suitor.

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Jerry Jones: Cowboys Zack Martin ‘unlikely’ for Week 17

Zack Martin has been out since Thanksgiving. Reports said he could play in Week 17, but owner Jerry Jones says it’s unlikely that he does.

The Dallas Cowboys have had more than their fair share of injury news on the offensive line in 2020. Tyron Smith (neck) was lost for the year in October and La’el Collins (hip) has been on the shelf all season. The biggest loss came in November when perennial All-Pro guard Zack Martin injured his calf on Thanksgiving against the Washington Football Team.

He was placed on injured reserve earlier this month; a minimum three-week hiatus. On Monday, reports surfaced that Martin may try to play this Sunday. However, team owner Jerry Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday morning it’s unlikely he does.

“I’m dubious that he can be there this week, but I’m not about the future weeks,” Jones said, via the team’s website. “We’ve got a chance in the future. He will make, and can make, such a difference in this football team.”

Not only has Martin continued to dominate at guard but he’s displayed his versatile skill set this season by sliding outside to tackle as well, and didn’t miss a beat. Jones realizes the impact Martin could bring if he’s available for a playoff run.

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“It really is the reason for a real optimistic thought about what happens if we could get in the playoffs,” Jones said. “It’s a real, valid, tangible thing to hang your hat on. He could change what we look like out there.”

Martin had been an ironman of sorts before 2020. In his first six seasons, the only two games he missed came in 2018. He’s missed five games total this season making it the toughest of his stellar career.

The Cowboys can only hope all the chips fall their way to get into the postseason this Sunday so that they can have their best player back on the field.

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Jerry Jones: Cowboys Zack Martin ‘unlikely’ for Week 17

Zack Martin has been out since Thanksgiving. Reports said he could play in Week 17, but owner Jerry Jones says it’s unlikely that he does.

The Dallas Cowboys have had more than their fair share of injury news on the offensive line in 2020. Tyron Smith (neck) was lost for the year in October and La’el Collins (hip) has been on the shelf all season. The biggest loss came in November when perennial All-Pro guard Zack Martin injured his calf on Thanksgiving against the Washington Football Team.

He was placed on injured reserve earlier this month; a minimum three-week hiatus. On Monday, reports surfaced that Martin may try to play this Sunday. However, team owner Jerry Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday morning it’s unlikely he does.

“I’m dubious that he can be there this week, but I’m not about the future weeks,” Jones said, via the team’s website. “We’ve got a chance in the future. He will make, and can make, such a difference in this football team.”

Not only has Martin continued to dominate at guard but he’s displayed his versatile skill set this season by sliding outside to tackle as well, and didn’t miss a beat. Jones realizes the impact Martin could bring if he’s available for a playoff run.

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“It really is the reason for a real optimistic thought about what happens if we could get in the playoffs,” Jones said. “It’s a real, valid, tangible thing to hang your hat on. He could change what we look like out there.”

Martin had been an ironman of sorts before 2020. In his first six seasons, the only two games he missed came in 2018. He’s missed five games total this season making it the toughest of his stellar career.

The Cowboys can only hope all the chips fall their way to get into the postseason this Sunday so that they can have their best player back on the field.

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Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott plans to play through calf injury

Ezekiel Elliott is dealing with a calf injury. Despise the team’s 3-9 record, Elliott feels it’s important to be there for his teammates.

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has been banged up as of late. Last month, he dealt with a hamstring issue but didn’t miss any games because of it. The two-time rushing champion is now dealing with a calf injury that he suffered in the Cowboy’s 34-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday.

Elliott has been limited in practice as the Cowboys prepare to battle the Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday. However, he plans to be on the field doing battle.

“It’s more of a contusion … like a big bruise,” Elliott said, via the Dallas Morning News. “I’m sure it’s going to be sore during the game, but it’s Week 13. Everyone is going to be sore. I don’t think it should limit me much at all. I mean, it might be a little tender, but I’m tough.”

The Cowboys have lost two consecutive games and six of their last seven, and are currently two games behind the New York Giants and Washington Football Team in the NFC East with just four games to go. This scenario would make it easy for Elliott to shut it down for the season. However, he feels it’s important to be there for his teammates.

“I mean, we look at what the team has gone through this season just losing so many key players,” Elliott said. “We lost a lot of key players here on offense.

“I think it’s important, one, just because we’re not out of it. Then two, just for my brothers. That’s why I go out there and play. I go out there and play for my brothers and my teammates.

“I’m not going to sell them short.”

The 2020 season may be all but over for the Cowboys, and Elliott’s struggles this season have been well documented. With that being said, it’s still encouraging to see such dedication during difficult times.

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Cowboys move Zack Martin to IR, possibly ending his season

The six-time Pro Bowler will miss three games, but the calf injury may bring his 2020 campaign to an early close, given the team’s record.

At this point in the team’s thoroughly disappointing 3-8 season, Cowboys fans are basically just waiting for the rest of the shoes to drop. A big one may have just landed with a resounding thud on Monday.

The team has placed guard Zack Martin on the Reserve/Injured list after a calf injury caused him to exit the Thanksgiving Day game versus Washington in the first quarter. He and tackle Cam Erving had already been declared out of the Week 13 contest.

Per league rules, Martin must now sit out three games. That would technically allow the four-time All-Pro to return for Week 16’s matchup with Philadelphia. If Dallas has been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention by then, though, one has to wonder if the coaching staff would even bother to let him back on the field for the club’s final two games of 2020.

Safety Steven Parker has also been placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury.

Tuesday’s date with Baltimore will mark just the fourth missed start of Martin’s stellar seven-year career. Because of other injuries along the Cowboys’ offensive line, the former first-round draft pick started the past two games at right tackle after six seasons of being considered one of the NFL’s top guards. That position shift, a dreadful season from the team, and now missed games will no doubt put Martin’s remarkable string of Pro Bowl nods in jeopardy.

Brandon Knight, Connor Williams, Joe Looney, Connor McGovern, and Terence Steele will likely comprise the Cowboys front line when they host the Ravens. It will be the eighth different personnel combination along the offensive line this season.

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Browns RB Nick Chubb leaves Cowboys game with leg injury

Nick Chubb has left the game with an apparent calf injury.

The Cleveland Browns came into this week with a phenomenal two-headed monster running game with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Leading the league in explosive runs, it is their entire offensive identity behind an outstanding offensive line spearheaded by former Cowboys offensive coordinator Bill Callahan.

Unfortunately for the Browns and the NFL in general, Chubb was injured on an off tackle run. Chubb appeared to grab his knee when he hit the ground and was immediately taken back for X-Rays.

Check back for more updates on this very big injury for the Browns offensive attack in Week 4.

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