Dak Prescott is back in the Cowboys' facility following successful stabilization surgery to repair his fractured thumb that was injured during last Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers. Prescott won't, however, attend practice as the Cowboys prepare for Sunday's home game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
By not allowing him to attend practice, it appears that Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy is trying to protect his quarterback from himself.
"There are threats out there," McCarthy said, via ESPN's Todd Archer. "We've got to be cautious."
McCarthy is not putting a timetable on Prescott's return, although Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has publicly announced that the hope is that Prescott can return within the next four weeks. Jones has also stated that the Cowboys will not place Prescott on injured reserve.
"Everyone feels good about the surgery that Dak went through from the medical perspective," McCarthy said. "From my perspective, he had surgery. These next 7-10 days he's in a healing stage. Let's get over that hurdle first."
The Cowboys are a wounded team heading into their game against the defending AFC champions. Along with Prescott, safety Jayron Kearse (knee), defensive end Tarell Basham (quad) and center Connor McGovern (ankle) have been ruled out of Sunday's game. Dallas' offense continues to be without Michael Gallup and James Washington, who continue to work their way back from injuries. Washington and left tackle Tyron Smith were placed on injured reserve two weeks ago.
While doomsday appears to have come to Dallas, Jones remains optimistic in his team.
"We've got a lot of really top football players," Jones said on 105.3 The Fan, per the Dallas Morning News. "And we got an outstanding group that's coaching them up in my view. ... You can think negatively and everybody does and that's normal. But, boy, we got a lot of positive things we can do. I have seen it just hopeless and walk out there and David slay the giant. I've seen it done."
