FRISCO, Texas — It’s never been a secret that owner Jerry Jones likes drama, the more the better when it comes to selling his Dallas Cowboys.
So it comes as no surprise that Jones is already salivating at the thought of a quarterback controversy between backup Cooper Rush and Dak Prescott whenever he returns from a surgically-repaired fractured right thumb, suffered in the season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
For Jones, it would mean that Rush, who beat the Cincinnati Bengals 20-17 in his first game in place of Prescott last Sunday, would reprise his heroics against the New York Giants Monday night and for however long he would continue to play for Prescott.
Never mind that Prescott threw a weighted softball in practice Thursday, fueling hopes that he could return sooner than later, possibly by the Oct. 2 game against the Washington Commanders or the Oct. 9 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
Jones would love for it be a much-discussed dilemma or controversy because it meant the Cowboys were winning with Rush.
He compared to how Prescott, who signed a four-year, $160 million before last season, got the starting job as a rookie in 2016 when he led the Cowboys to a 10-1 start in place of an injured Tony Romo, the franchise’s all-time leading passer.
“Wouldn’t it be something if you had a dilemma which way you go,” Jones said with a wry smile to a gaggle of reporters at his team’s headquarters at the Star in Frisco on Thursday. “You do that if you had 10 wins. The same thing that happened with Prescott.
“I think like that.”
Jones was just warming up.
He doubled down when asked it he would really want a controversy with his franchise quarterback, who is paid $40 million annually, and career backup with two career starts in six years in the league.
"Of course I would, if it means he plays as well as Prescott did. If he played that well over the next games ahead. I would walk to New York to get that.”
Does Jones believe Rush could play as well as Prescott did in 2016.
“I don’t know that,” Jones said. “You can’t find on record where I said Prescott could. But he did it. Of course, we want Dak to be here next week. But Dak and I want Rush to lead the team to a victory here and to get another win and another win.”
Unlike when Prescott reeled off a 11-game winning streak before Romo was healthy en route to a 13-3 season, Rush is not expected to get as many opportunities for the Cowboys to go with the hot hand as they did with in 2016.
Prescott should be back in two weeks at the latest.
Yet, Jones didn’t back off his dream of a controversy in 2022.
“Looking back when Dak was playing for Tony, it was game by game, series by series and play by play,” Jones said. “So do I think its possible for Rush to play was well Prescott did and win games when he took over for Romo? Yes, I do. I certainly think that is possible.
”It was [considered] impossible that Prescott played so well to keep Romo out.”
The big difference here is that the Cowboys essentially know what they have in Rush, who was in a battle in training camp last month with Will Grier to continue as the team’s backup quarterback.
The Cowboys are simply hoping to hold out with Rush.
Prescott played so well in 2016 that he was named the NFL Rookie of the Year, made the Pro Bowl and essentially retired Romo.
Leave it to running back Ezekiel Elliott to be the voice of reason and sum up Jones’ comments best. He compared them to a talk show host who makes salacious comments to gain traction and attention.
“He want y’all to be clicking and listening, too,” Elliott said. “It’s all marketing. It’s all marketing.”
And a dream.
