It's official.
The Dallas Cowboys will start four quarterbacks in a season for only the third time in team history, joining 2000 and 2015 when they finished 5-11 and 4-12, respectively
And it will be former Texas and SMU quarterback Garrett Gilbert who will take the reins of the offense Sunday against the 7-0 Pittsburgh Steelers, the NFL's lone unbeaten team.
Gilbert follows Dak Prescott, who is out for the season with a fractured ankle, backup Andy Dalton, who missed a game with a concussion and is now out in the COVID-19 protocol, and rookie seventh-round pick Ben DiNucci, who was simply overwhelmed in last Sunday's 23-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Cowboys (2-6) are turning to Gilbert as they try to end a three game losing streak against the Steelers, who possess one of the league's top defenses.
"Man, it's so much fun," Gilbert said. "I think this is an awesome opportunity. I'm thrilled to be playing for the Dallas Cowboys. I wish it was under different circumstances. I wish Dak hadn't gone down. I wish Andy had gotten sick. I'm thrilled to be here and I'm excited about this opportunity."
Gilbert, 29, has been with six different NFL teams, but he's been in and out of the NFL since 2014 and has thrown just six passes in the league and last started a game in the Alliance of American Football for the Orlando Apollos in 2019.
Gilbert, who has spent two full seasons out of the NFL, considered joining the coaching staff at SMU before joining the Panthers in 2018 and reviving his hopes.
"It's been quite a journey," Gilbert said. "It's a fine line between saying this is over with and I don't know if I'm going to get another shot. I never lost that belief and I never lost the love for it and wanting to be out here, wanting to be playing."
