The question surrounding the Dallas Cowboys quarterback position has shifted from the health of Dak Prescott to, who will win the back up job? While one of those questions carries far more significance than the other, both may not fully be answered until the Dallas Cowboys open the 2021 season against the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Regarding the health of Dak Prescott, the concerns about his ankle injury have all but disappeared. The main concern is the injury he suffered in his throwing arm which has prevented him from playing in the pre-season and limited him in practice. Despite assurances from the Dallas Cowboys that he will be good to go week 1, there is still a seed of doubt among Cowboys fans that Dak Prescott could be less than 100% physically and/or mentally.
We wont truly know how ready Dak Prescott will be to start the season but what we do know is that his position as starting Dallas Cowboys quarterback is secure for years to come. What still remains a mystery is, who will back him up? There is a fairly large contingent of fans who would like to see the Cowboys sign or trade for a veteran like they did last season with Andy Dalton. Robert Griffin III and Blake Bortles are a couple of names that have been tossed out there as free agents, while trade talks have centred around Gardner Minshew or Nick Foles. While these are all viable options, it is probably not be worth the investment unless Dak Prescott is forced to miss significant time. As far as I’m concerned, if Dak goes down again this year, all hope is lost anyway. Instead of chasing hopes that washed up veterans can rediscover their form or that the Cowboys can be the second team to catch lightning in a bottle with Nick Foles, it makes the most sense to see if a capable backup quarterback is already on the roster.
The slight favorite to win the job is Garrett Gilbert. The former AAF standout started for the Cowboys against the Pittsburgh Steelers last season and he performed admirably. Despite having some success, Gilbert has never been able to stick onto an NFL roster. Maybe he is not a strong practice player, maybe it is lack of opportunity, or maybe he simply just isn’t that good. Either way, Gilbert will at least have an opportunity to prove himself in the final pre-season game. Gilbert is not the only potential backup who has started a game in NFL. But, unlike Gilbert who looked like a viable backup quarterback in his one opportunity, the same cannot be said about Ben DiNucci. Mike McCarthy’s protege DiNucci looked like an amateur against the Eagles last year. He consistently made poor decisions and his frequent awkward sidearm throws have drawn him comparisons to Uncle Rico from the movie Napoleon Dynamite. Out of all three Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks in contention for the back up spot, Ben DiNucci offers the most athletically but he is far from ready to be an NFL quarterback. In fact, he may never be ready but he is still likely to find his way onto the practice squad anyway due to his athleticism and because Mike McCarthy is so fond of him. Meanwhile, former Cowboys back up QB Cooper Rush Rush is also in the mix after a one year stint with the Giants. Cooper Rush is most familiar with the offense but is the one guy who has never had a chance to start an NFL game. Cooper Rush gave himself a chance after a strong showing last week and will have another opportunity to prove himself. My money is still on Gilbert but if Cooper Rush shows up again this week, it will certainly give me more confidence in him going forward.
*Photo by Joe Glorioso https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode