How Can the Dallas Cowboys Replace Dak Prescott and Andy Dalton at QB?
The Dallas Cowboys have been ravaged by injuries this season, and the onslaught continued Sunday with Andy Dalton leaving the game with an apparent head injury.
Dak Prescott, who was exceptional to start the season, is already out for the year after fracturing and dislocating his ankle against the New York Giants. Rookie Ben DiNucci and veteran Garrett Gilbert are now the only healthy QBs left on the Cowboys roster. Dallas will need to add another quarterback in the next week, but what are their options?
The Cowboys have lost Dak Prescott and Andy Dalton to injuries
Things just keep going from bad to worse for the Cowboys in 2020. After starting the season 1-3, Dallas lost starting quarterback Dak Prescott for the season with a gruesome ankle injury.
Andy Dalton replaced him in the starting lineup and led the Cowboys to a win against the Giants, and fans started to believe the former Bengals QB could weather the storm in the dismal NFC East. Long story short — they were wrong.
Dalton struggled mightily in his first start the following week. He went 34/54 for 266 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in a 38-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. He wasn’t much better this Sunday against the Washington Football Team, and it only got worse from there.
During the third quarter, Dalton scrambled for a decent gain and took an illegal hit to the head from Washington’s Jon Bostic. Dalton’s helmet flew off after the scary hit, and he laid motionless on the ground for a few moments. He was later helped into the locker room and ruled out of the game with a head injury.
It’s unknown how long Dalton will be out, but the Cowboys will have to go quarterback shopping this week.
The Cowboys could explore the free agent market
Ben DiNucci and Garret Gilbert are the only remaining quarterbacks available on the Cowboys roster. Owner and GM Jerry Jones can’t feel too confident in either option, so he could scour the free agent market in the coming days.
The most high profile QB on the market is still Colin Kaepernick. The former San Francisco 49er hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016, so Jones might not want to take a chance on the rusty veteran. Kaepernick would also bring even more drama to a locker room that’s already on the verge of crumbling.
There are some other notable free agent quarterbacks available for the taking, however. Drew Anderson and Drew Stanton are two veterans who could pick up the offense rather quickly. Chad Kelly, DeShone Kizer, and Shea Patterson all have upside as young players, but they might not even be upgrades from DiNucci.
The free agency market would be the easiest solution for Jones and the Cowboys, but trading for an established quarterback would be a better option.
The Cowboys should trade for a veteran QB
The Cowboys may be 2-5 to start the season, but they’re still well within striking distance of the NFC East crown. The Philadelphia Eagles hold a slim lead in the division at 2-4-1, and Dallas could easily catch them with an upgrade at quarterback.
Jameis Winston, who led the NFL in passing yards last season, is currently rotting on the bench in New Orleans. Jerry Jones — go offer the Saints a third round draft pick for him. Winston is a walking turnover, sure, but he’ll put up points with the wealth of weapons on the Cowboys offense.
Mitch Trubisky, who was recently benched for Nick Foles in Chicago, could also be an option for Dallas. He would be a little more expensive considering the Bears invested a first round pick on him, but he would be an upgrade from everyone on the Cowboys roster.
If Dallas wants to make a playoff push this season, they need to replace Prescott and Dalton with a proven quarterback.
