OXNARD, Calif. -- The Cowboys have a starting quarterback who can’t throw.
That doesn’t mean he can’t take part in practice.
Dak Prescott’s first full day on the field after discovering he has a muscle strain in his right shoulder wasn’t a relaxing one. The quarterback, who turned 28 on Thursday, turned over his role in team drills to backup Garrett Gilbert.
But he remained active. Prescott worked on his footwork and conditioning, took snaps from center and when he did roll out, it was to run, not throw. He also worked off to the side on resistance cords.
Sources said Prescott suffered a latissimus strain, the muscle that connects the bone of the upper arm to the spine and the hip. A mild or Grade 1 strain -- and that’s the belief -- typically requires a couple of weeks to heal.
Club officials were offering a shorter timetable.
“It’s good you can catch a fatigue injury early,” head coach Mike McCarthy said. “I think this is more staying in front of what he has.
“We’re just going to cut out the throwing here for probably a few days.”
What constitutes a few days? Let’s look at the schedule.
Prescott didn’t throw Thursday. The team is off Friday. There are two practices over the weekend before the players are off again on Monday.
Tuesday is the first practice that appears to make sense. But guess what? The Cowboys don’t practice the next day because they fly cross country to Cleveland. The team plays in the Hall of Fame game on that Thursday (which Prescott wasn’t going to play in even before the shoulder strain), then returns to Southern California immediately after the game with another off day scheduled for Friday.
Does it make sense to wedge one practice in there when this injury is all about rest and recovery?
“We’ll be cautious, but we have no concerns,” executive vice president Stephen Jones said.
Prescott mentioned entering this camp he thought it would be beneficial to play in at least one pre-season game to prepare for the regular season. McCarthy said based on what the training staff has told him, the club can stick to its preliminary plan and make sure the quarterback sees some preseason action.
The home game against Houston on Aug. 21 or the preseason finale against Jacksonville on Aug. 29 are the options.
“We’ll obviously have to see this thing play out,’' Jones said. “But the plan is still, if things go like we think they’re going to go with the shoulder, it’s for him to play.”
Until then?
“It’s treatment, rest and recovery,” Jones said. “Just manage it.
“That’s about all I can say about it.”
