I walked off the field with Dak Prescott last week in Atlanta. From the way Prescott was making his way off the Mercedes Benz Stadium field to his trip down the hallways to the locker room, it was clear this injury was not the standard hamstring injury. Prescott had a heavy, noticeable limp, and his facial expressions were not promising.
Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb walk off the field. Prescott didn’t finish the game due to a hamstring injury. Lamb is dealing with the shoulder injury. pic.twitter.com/v3CDToRIvY
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) November 3, 2024
Last week, it was confirmed Prescott’s hamstring injury was more severe than it initially seemed. There was a pretty good chance Prescott’s season was going to be over, whether he got season-ending surgery or not. Injured reserve was a bare minimum scenario and would sideline Prescott for at least four weeks. The Dallas Cowboys did not officially place Prescott on IR this week, meaning he will be inactive Sunday and his earliest return date if Dallas places him on IR this week would be Dec. 15 at the Carolina Panthers.
The Cowboys’ next three games are against the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans and Washington Commanders. They play the New York Giants on Thanksgiving and then the Cincinnati Bengals after that. With the Cowboys at 3-5 with Prescott, their season already is off the rails. With Prescott out for the foreseeable future, the Cowboys could realistically be out of postseason contention by mid-December. At that point, there would be no point in rushing Prescott back, effectively ending his season anyway.
A season-ending surgery immediately would only expedite the inevitable.
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How high can they pick?
The playoffs seemed like a tall task this season — even more so with Prescott’s situation. Though Sundays just got a lot less meaningful for Cowboys fans, Saturdays just got a lot more interesting. The questions now are: How many games will the Cowboys lose and how high will they pick in the 2025 NFL Draft?
The Cowboys are 3-5. Ten teams are ahead of Dallas in the draft order: Seven teams are 2-7, two are 2-6, and the New York Jets are 3-6. If the season ended today, the Cowboys would hold the No. 11 selection in the draft. Their second-round pick stands at No. 43, and third-round pick is at No. 75, according to Tankathon. There’s still about half the season to go.
The 2025 class is weak at the quarterback position, but the Cowboys already have it secured with Prescott. They have needs all over the roster, though, so they will be able to take a best-player-available approach to their draft picks. By virtue of their trade for Jonathan Mingo last week, they don’t have a fourth-round selection, so those picks in the first three rounds will be crucial to addressing major needs. As you continue to watch college football this fall, start making your wish lists for whom you’d like to see end up with a star on his helmet.
Draft history: Cowboys’ last 5 first-rounders
| YEAR | PLAYER | PICK | POSITION |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2024 |
29 |
OT |
|
|
2023 |
26 |
DL |
|
|
2022 |
24 |
OL |
|
|
2021 |
12 |
LB |
|
|
2020 |
17 |
WR |
New WR
Thursday was Mingo’s first day practicing at The Star. He’s not expected to have an impact in Sunday’s game, but Dallas traded for him to make an impact this season and for the next two.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan that they were disappointed when they weren’t able to draft Mingo in 2023. He went early in the second round, 39th. The Cowboys had pick No. 58 in the second round that year. They used it on tight end Luke Schoonmaker. Perhaps that would’ve been Mingo if he were still on the board.
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“He fits the profile of what we want,” Jones added. “He’s the type of receiver that is Dak (Prescott) friendly.”
Mingo is excited about his opportunity for a “fresh start.” Why didn’t things work out for him with the Panthers?
“I don’t know,” he said. “You can talk to them. It ain’t up to me, it’s between the front office and coaching staff. I know there are some things I could’ve done better, but I’m here now.”
What’s going on with DaRon Bland?
Many are wondering why the Cowboys opened the 21-day practice window for cornerback DaRon Bland on Oct. 9 and he’s still not able to play in a game. Bland has been ruled out for Sunday’s game. He hasn’t played since suffering a stress fracture in his foot during the final week of training camp in California. At the time, he was expected to miss six to eight weeks.
The team thought he’d be ready by now, but his foot is still not in a place where he feels comfortable to return.
“All those injuries to your feet, they vary from player to player,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Friday on The Fan. “And of course, he’s playing a position, especially at corner, where you’re having to react to receivers and plant and put a lot of torque and pressure on that foot. In order to be out there and play at the level you have to in the NFL, it’s gotta be right. … It’s gotta be at a level that he feels good about and he’s confident in. It’s just week-to-week now.”
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Predictions
Brooks Kubena, Eagles beat writer: No Dak, no chance. There’s been plenty of attention on Philadelphia’s offense lately. (I mean, kinda granted when Saquon Barkley is jumping over people backward.) The Eagles are indeed finding their rhythm under offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. But a young and maturing defense has only allowed three offensive touchdowns in its last four games. That should be enough for the Eagles to secure a road victory against the Cowboys for the first time since 2017. Eagles 28, Cowboys 16
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Jon Machota, Cowboys beat writer: The Cowboys’ path to victory would have to come via the turnover battle. And I’m talking something like 3-0. The Eagles have been just as bad as the Cowboys at taking the ball away this season. Philadelphia only has one more takeaway than Dallas through eight games. But the Eagles have done a better job of taking care of the ball. The Cowboys have turned it over 13 times, tied for fifth worst in the NFL. It’s more likely the turnover margin is similar and the difference is Saquon Barkley. The Eagles average 175 rushing yards per game. The Cowboys allow almost 150 rushing yards per game. Eagles 27, Cowboys 17
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Saad Yousuf, Cowboys beat writer: The Eagles are a prolific running team and the Cowboys are an awful defense against the run. Getting Micah Parsons back this week should help the defense a little, but this was a bad run defense, even with Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence on the field. I don’t think this will be the blowout some might expect it to be, given how bad the vibes are surrounding the Cowboys right now. Three of the Eagles’ wins this season have come over the New Orleans Saints (3 points), Cleveland Browns (4 points) and the Jacksonville Jaguars (5 points). They don’t exactly handle subpar teams definitively. That being said, the Cowboys will have to play a perfect football game to actually win and notch their first home win of the season. Eagles 27, Cowboys 20
(Photo of Saquon Barkley: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)
