Quarterback Options for Cowboys With Prescott Sidelined
Week 1 of the NFL season allows general managers to finally see the roster they constructed on a field for the first time of the year. After Sunday’s night loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys will need to regroup with a season-changing injury to two-time Pro Bowler Dak Prescott. Prescott will reportedly miss 6-8 weeks with a fracture in his right thumb. With the 29-year-old missing such a big chunk of time, will Jones take a swing to replace Prescott with another quarterback in the interim, or will they just stay with internal options?
Jimmy Garoppolo
Jimmy G has had a crazy offseason in the Bay area with the 49ers. The 30-year-old quarterback led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance in 2019 and an NFC Championship appearance just last season. Garoppolo was rumored to be on a new team to begin the season with the 49ers giving Trey Lance the keys to the offense. A trade for Garoppolo didn’t happen for multiple reasons, so San Francisco held onto him and reworked his contract. With the contract more reasonable for teams to take on, Garoppolo is likely the running favorite if the Cowboys want to bring in another quarterback. If Jerry Jones wants a quarterback to step into the offense and produce right away, Garoppolo would be that guy. It’ll be interesting to see if Dallas steps into that market and what San Francisco wants for him.
Teddy Bridgewater
Bridgewater has been jumping around from team to team for the past couple of years. The former first-round pick signed with the Miami Dolphins this past season to compete for the job with Tua Tagovailoa, even though there wasn’t a real shot at starting for the Dolphins to begin the year. Bridgewater has been a reliable enough quarterback over his career in the NFL which might tempt Dallas to jump on the phone with Miami general manager Chris Grier. With the Dolphins rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson making the 53-man roster after an impressive training camp and preseason, the Dolphins might feel comfortable enough with Tagovailoa and Thompson should Dallas come with an offer for Bridgewater.
Case Keenum
Also, like Bridgewater, Case Keenum has made multiple pit stops over the past couple of years. Keenum is the Bills’ backup quarterback behind Josh Allen, with Matt Barkley also in the quarterback room. Keenum makes sense for Dallas as he should be able to step into situations and produce when given the chance. Throughout his career he has shown flashes of being a serviceable quarterback, which would be something Dallas would love to have until Prescott comes back.
Others
There are multiple other names Dallas might turn to outside the three listed above. Jones and the Cowboys might keep looking for quarterbacks not currently on their roster, including Gardner Minshew in Philadelphia, Andy Dalton in New Orleans, or Cam Newton who is currently a free agent. The most probable situation is that the Cowboys and coach Mike McCarthy give backup Cooper Rush a chance to operate the offense to see if they need to make a move or not. Rush, entering his fifth season, has 488 passing yards and three touchdowns in his professional career.
With Dak Prescott out for the foreseeable future, the Cowboys will need to figure out the quarterback situation and stay above water before Prescott gets back. Even with the Eagles now looking like clear favorites in the NFC East, multiple teams fit into the NFL Wild Card picture. Prescott will miss a chunk of time, and the Cowboys are in danger of not repeating as NFC East champions, which would extend the drought of a team not repeating in the NFC East since 2004.
