It appears the Dallas Cowboys will open the season with Cooper Rush as the primary backup quarterback to Dak Prescott.
He is currently the last man standing, with the team informing Garrett Gilbert and Ben DiNucci of their release.
“I just think he has shown he can run the complete offense,” said owner Jerry Jones in explaining the decision to give the job to Rush on his radio show on 105.3 the Fan. “Credit to him. He had some tough competition. He’s had a lot of reps. All of those things make us feel real comfortable here.”
Now, the Cowboys are going to do their due-diligence and look at other quarterbacks in the market for a possible upgrade.
A name to remember is former NFL MVP Cam Newton, who was shockingly released by the New England Patriots Tuesday. He is among the quarterbacks who will be evaluated by the Cowboys. But Newton joining the team is a long shot.
When asked if the Cowboys might consider upgrading the position through a trade after final cuts, Jones said it would be a high bar for someone to come in and beat out Rush because of his back ground with the offense.
What’s more about Newton is that since he is unvaccinated, his transition to a new team comes with some hurdles.
Per NFL rules, unvaccinated players who are cut this week will have to go through a five-day-intake testing period before they can practice or play with a new team.
Jones has already already stated that his goal is have his team 100% vaccinated to reduce the risk of in-season protocol violations. Non-compliance is not thought to be an option for a backup quarterback.
The Cowboys have until 3 p.m. to cut the roster from 80 to 53.
But they are on the way.
Also released so far: wide receivers Brandon Smith, Johnnie Dixon and Osirus Mitchell, running backs JaQuan Hardy and Brenden Knox, tackle Eric Smith, center Braylon Jones, defensive ends Ron’Dell Carter and Austin Faoliu, tight end Artayvious Lynn and safeties Darian Thompson and Tyler Coyle.
The biggest decision was at quarterback.
Gilbert came into training camp as the front runner for the backup job. But the former Texas and SMU starter had a listless preseason, completing 28 of 50 passes for 301 yards and a touchdown in parts of four games.
His only touchdown came in the preseason finale against Jacksonville, a 34-14 loss by the Cowboys, but it was too late.
There is a chance Gilbert or DiNucci could be brought back to the practice squad as they team would like three quarterbacks to practice with during the season.
