Mike McCarthy says Dallas Cowboys hope to add veteran QB but don’t want to overreact

The Dallas Cowboys plan to add a veteran quarterback to the mix following the loss of Dak Prescott, who will be out 6-8 weeks after undergoing surgery Monday to repair a fractured right thumb, suffered in Sunday’s 19-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But look for Cooper Rush to start in place of Prescott against the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, with the team hoping to add a veteran third quarterback, coach Mike McCarthy said.

Will Grier, who competed with Rush for the backup job in training camp, is on the practice squad but there is no guarantee he will be elevated.

McCarthy said the Cowboys are just beginning the process but they plan to add a quarterback by Tuesday.

“I got a list here of every quarterback in the league,” he said. “It’s going to be a long conversation. We will look at it. We plan to make some roster moves.”

McCarthy reiterated that the plan is to move ahead with Rush as the starter and they don’t want to overreact to Prescott’s injury.

Rush has only one career start, completing 24 of 40 passes for 325 passing yards with two touchdowns and an interception in a comeback victory against the Minnesota Vikings last season.

McCarthy says he gives the Cowboys the best chance at normalcy, thus the best chance to win starting Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

“I think the biggest thing is especially at the quarterback position because obviously the importance of it, is don’t overreact to it,” McCarthy said. “We’ve got to make sure we’re giving the players the tools to win the game on Sunday. The nice thing about Cooper is Cooper’s been in our system, knows our system inside and out. We won’t be in that position of trying not to do too much or vice versa. Cooper gives us the ability to keep playing.”

The Cowboys are 5-7 all-time without Prescott. They were 4-7 in 2020 and 1-0 behind Cooper in 2021.