Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott spent Sunday’s loss to the Eagles on the sideline because of a hamstring injury. The team announced Tuesday that he will have surgery and miss the rest of the season.
Jeffrey McWhorter | AP photo
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Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith, right, suffered an ankle injury against the Commanders and will miss Sunday’s game against the Ravens.
Stephanie Scarbrough | AP photo
FRISCO, Texas — Dak Prescott has decided on surgery for his torn hamstring, ending the season for the franchise quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys when their playoff hopes were already fading fast.
Owner Jerry Jones said Prescott will have the surgery Wednesday in New York. Jones was speaking on his radio show Tuesday.
“His prognosis is wonderful,” Jones said. “It just means we’re not going to have him for the rest of the year.”
The decision comes a little more than a week after Prescott injured the hamstring in a 27-21 loss at Atlanta. He was on the sideline for Dallas’ fourth consecutive loss, 34-6 at home to Philadelphia on Sunday.
The Cowboys (3-6) already knew they would be without last season’s runner-up in NFL MVP voting for at least a month, and were resigned to the outcome that was finalized after Prescott visited one more specialist.
The recovery time is at least three months, about the amount of time former Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith was sidelined after sustaining a similar injury in training camp two years ago.
Prescott’s hamstring was partially torn off the bone, a condition known as a partial avulsion. Surgery isn’t always required in such instances, as opposed to the full tear off the bone that Smith sustained.
It’s the second time in five years that the 31-year-old Prescott will miss more than half the season because of an injury. He broke an ankle in Week 5 in 2020, when Dallas finished 6-10.
The Cowboys, who play Houston (6-4) at home Monday night, are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The defending NFC East champions finished 12-5 in each of three consecutive playoff seasons.
Prescott wasn’t having a great year when he got hurt. He had 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions for an offense that was in the middle of the pack in the NFL after being among the league’s best in the playoff years.
Cooper Rush started in Prescott’s place against the Eagles but had just 45 yards passing, the fewest for a Dallas starter in a game since Matt Cassel had 37 in another lost season for the Cowboys in 2015.
Rush and Trey Lance, who briefly replaced Rush in the third quarter and came on for good later, combined for 66 passing yards. It’s the fewest for Dallas since having 34 in a 10-6 loss to Tampa Bay in 2001.
Rush will start again Monday night against the Texans. The Cowboys signed Will Grier to their practice squad Tuesday. Grier was with the Cowboys from 2021-22.
HIGHSMITH OUT
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers will head into their AFC North showdown with rival Baltimore without outside linebacker Alex Highsmith.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that Highsmith is “week to week” after Highsmith twisted his left ankle late in a 28-27 victory over Washington last Sunday. Highsmith suffered the injury while chasing down Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels in the fourth quarter.
This is the second time this season Highsmith has missed time. A groin injury forced him to sit out three games earlier this season.
Highsmith will be replaced in the starting lineup by either Nick Herbig or Preston Smith. Herbig’s been out a month with a hamstring injury, but Tomlin said he’s “comfortable” that Herbig will be available when Pittsburgh (7-2) hosts Baltimore (7-3). The Steelers also have Preston Smith after acquiring the veteran edge rusher from Green Bay last week.
Wide receiver Calvin Austin, who left late in the fourth quarter with an undisclosed issue, is also expected to play. Tomlin is less sure about cornerback Donte Jackson, who injured his hamstring against Washington. While Tomlin said Jackson felt good on Tuesday that might not mean anything when practice begins on Wednesday.
The meeting with Baltimore is the start of a tough finishing stretch for the Steelers that includes six games against AFC North opponents.
“I’ll play them whenever they schedule us,” Tomlin said. “We got no control over schedule. Our goal is to beat everybody.”
MAYER RETURNS
HENDERSON, Nev. — Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer, who has not played since Sept. 22 because of personal reasons, returned to practice Tuesday.
Mayer was placed on the non-football illness list on Oct. 11, which meant he would have to miss the following four games.
Mayer, a second-year player, started the first two games this season and played in three. He caught four passes for 21 yards.
The Raiders traded up last year to draft Mayer in the second round out of Notre Dame. But Las Vegas used its 13th pick this year on Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, who has 57 catches for 580 yards and two touchdowns.
The Raiders (2-7) play at Miami (3-6) on Sunday.
NINERS SIGN CB
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir has agreed to a five-year, $92 million extension to stay with the team instead of testing the free agent market next offseason.
A person familiar with the deal confirmed that the two sides reached agreement on Tuesday on the new contract.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal hadn’t been announced.
NFL Network first reported the deal.
Lenoir has developed into one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL this season, excelling in both the slot and the outside for San Francisco. Lenoir has split time at the two positions, allowing 35 catches on 56 targets this season with a 65 passer rating on throws into his coverage, according to Pro Football Focus.
Lenoir has allowed no TD passes and has two interceptions, six passes defensed and one forced fumble. Lenoir also returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown.
Locking up Lenoir was a priority for the 49ers. Their two top cornerbacks were eligible for free agency with Charvarius Ward also in the last year of his contract.
Lenoir was drafted in the fifth round in 2021 out of Oregon and became a starter in his second season. He has six career interceptions and 23 passes defensed in 56 games.