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 will fly to New York early next week to meet with the specialist, but Cowboys doctors and trainers already believe he will need surgery that will sideline him for four months, sources said. If the specialist agrees with that assessment, the operation will take place on Wednesday.

The Cowboys believe it is better to address the injury now than to let it heal on its own and potentially experience 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 undergone surgeries 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.

A loss Sunday would leave the Cowboys (3-6) at least four games behind the NFC East leader. The Cowboys know they are not far from ensuring Prescott is fully healthy for the 2025 season.

Regardless, Dallas is expected to place Prescott on injured reserve next week. The Cowboys did not place him on IR on Saturday due to the partial right hamstring avulsion, meaning the earliest he can return is December 15 against the Carolina Panthers, when the team makes the roster 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 the backup. Coach Mike McCarthy said the team is considering adding a quarterback to the active roster or practice squad.

The Cowboys don’t believe they need to change their Rush offense. When Rush was under center the last time 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 also remains a strong possibility that the Cowboys will 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 will end 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 did not practice on Friday due to illness, was able to work on Saturday.

ESPN’s Todd Archer contributed to this report.