Sources say Dak Prescott is planning to have season-ending surgery

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott plans to undergo season-ending surgery on his partially torn hamstring pending a final specialist's opinion, sources told ESPN.

Prescott flies to New York early next week to meet with the specialist, but the Cowboys' doctors and trainers already expect he will need the surgery, which would sideline him for four months, sources said. If the specialist agrees with this assessment, the operation is scheduled for Wednesday.

The Cowboys believe it's better to treat the injury now rather than let it heal on its own and potentially encounter complications later. Speaking Friday on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Prescott wanted to avoid surgery. In recent years he has had surgery on his right ankle, right thumb and left shoulder.

But Dallas also understands the reality of his situation. The Cowboys are 3-5 heading into Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles (6-2), with quarterback Cooper Rush set to replace Prescott and make his first start of the season.

If Dallas loses, it will be 3-6 and several games behind division leaders Washington and Philadelphia. The Cowboys know they are not far from shifting their focus to ensuring Prescott is fully healthy for the 2025 season.

Whatever the case, Dallas is expected to place Prescott on injured reserve next week. The Cowboys did not place him on IR on Saturday because of the partial avulsion of his right Achilles tendon, meaning the earliest he could return is Dec. 15 against the Carolina Panthers if the team makes a roster move next week.

Multiple sources said Prescott would need six to eight weeks to recover without surgery.

The Cowboys did not need Prescott's spot on the 53-man roster for Sunday's game against Philadelphia. Instead, he will be one of the team's inactive players.

Rush will start against the Eagles with Trey Lance as his backup. Coach Mike McCarthy said the team is considering adding a quarterback to either the active roster or the practice squad.

The Cowboys don't believe they need to change their offense for Rush. The last time Rush was under center when Prescott was injured and missed time, the Cowboys didn't score more than 25 points in a game, but their defense allowed an average of just over 15.

There's still a strong possibility that the Cowboys deploy certain packages that utilize Lance. Both Rush and Lance are in the final year of their contracts.

This is expected to be the second time in his career that Prescott has ended the season on injured reserve. In 2020, he suffered a dislocation and compound fracture of his right ankle in Week 5.

The Cowboys also signed cornerback Josh Butler and wide receiver Jalen Moreno-Cropper from the practice squad this week. Cornerback Trevon Diggs, who was unable to practice Friday due to an illness, was able to work Saturday.

ESPN's Todd Archer contributed to this report.