FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Dak Prescott wants to avoid surgery so the Dallas Cowboys star quarterback can play again this season after tearing a hamstring, owner Jerry Jones said Friday.

Jones confirmed on his radio program that Prescott’s hamstring was partially torn from the bone, a condition known as partial avulsion.

A complete tear of the tendon from the bone requires surgery, and that’s what happened in training camp two years ago when former Dallas tackle Tyron Smith missed 13 games. In Prescott’s case, Jones said it could be a few weeks before it is known whether surgery will be necessary.

The injury occurred last week during the 27-21 loss to Atlanta. Cooper Rush will start in Prescott’s place on Sunday against NFC East rival Philadelphia (6-2), with the defending division champion Cowboys (3-5) trying to stay in the playoff race after qualifying with 12-5 records each past three seasons.

“He’ll need a few weeks off before he can see if he really needs surgery,” Jones said on his radio show. ‘He doesn’t want surgery. He wants to be on the field and go for it. He weighs that. We are considering that.”

Jones said the Cowboys don’t feel the urgency to place Prescott on injured reserve because they may not need the spot on the 53-man active roster right now. Prescott would be out for at least four games after an IR move.

Rush was 4-1 as a starter two years ago when Prescott was out after breaking the thumb on his throwing hand in a season-opening loss. Rush also won a match in 2021 when Prescott was nursing a calf injury.

A new element in replacing Prescott is the presence of Trey Lance, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 draft by San Francisco. The 49ers traded him to the Cowboys last year after Lance lost the battle for the backup job, and he has been the third QB for Dallas ever since.

Lance took the vast majority of snaps in the preseason so coach Mike McCarthy and his staff could evaluate a 24-year-old who is on an expiring rookie contract.

McCarthy has indicated he would stick with Rush the same way he did with Prescott, which is why he’s shying away from any package that could feature Lance, who is by far the most mobile of the three QBs.

Jones suggested otherwise on his radio show for an offense that has struggled even with a healthy Prescott and has the second-worst rushing attack in the NFL.

“Oh, there’s a window for Trey Lance,” Jones said. “There are packages we can work on. Let me be clear, that’s not just to get Lance some playing time. That is to bring some insult to the table for us.”

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