Former Texas and SMU quarterback Garrett Gilbert is holding steady as the leading option on the roster to back up Dak Prescott.
Cooper Rush and Ben DiNucci are the other quarterbacks in the roster as the team finishes it’s second week of OTAs on Thursday before next week’s mini camp and then an extended break until the start of training camp in late July.
But the situation is far from settled.
The Cowboys are openly looking for more experienced options.
Former TCU star Andy Dalton, who started nine seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, served as the backup last season. But he signed with the Chicago Bears in free agency.
The Cowboys worked out veterans Brett Hundley and Jeff Driskel but did not sign them to contracts. And vice president of player personnel Will McClay is still searching for candidates to bring in.
That could happen in training camp or after final cuts.
“I’ll just point to Andy Dalton, when he was acquired last year,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “You’re always looking to upgrade that position, whether it’s via the draft or free agency. I will say we definitely want to add some competition to the room.”
As of now, the Cowboys are comfortable with what they are getting from Gilbert, Rush and DiNucci.
Gilbert is the in-house front runner because of his impressive showing in his only career start last season against the Pittsburgh Steelers when he was rushed into action just three weeks after his arrival because of injuries to Prescott and Dalton and a lack of confidence in DiNucci.
Gilbert completed 21 of 38 passes for 243 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while nearly leading the Cowboys to an upset in a 24-19 home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9.
Gilbert, 29, has been with seven teams since 2014 but has never found a spot where we could settle.
He hopes to progress enough in the offseason and training camp to convince the Cowboys to make him Prescott’s understudy.
“Obviously, yes that is my goal, is to win the No. 2 job here,” Gilbert said. “But again, I think the best way to go about that is by just worrying about the things I can control — worry about having a good practice, worry about getting my feet right, worry about the things that are going to help me get better.”
McCarthy has taken notice.
“Garrett is very comfortable now,” McCarthy said. “Very bright, very intelligent, football comes very easy to him, him and Cooper Rush both are definitely very impressive from a mental approach, their level of understanding, so I like the way that group works.”
Still, the group has a total of two combined starts between them.
DiNucci proved to be an over-matched rookie when he was pressed into starting the Week 8 23-9 loss to the Eagles in Philadelphia. He completed 21 of 40 passes for 180 yards, and the Cowboys turned to Gilbert the following week.
Rush has spent the better part of the last four years with the Cowboys and has three career pass attempts.
The Cowboys are comfortable for now but the search for an upgrade continues.
