The Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback situation in the coming weeks could be more interesting than many expected after hearing about the severity of Dak Prescott’s hamstring injury earlier this week.
With Prescott expected to be out multiple weeks and the Cowboys “likely” placing him on injured reserve, according to what Jerry Jones said Tuesday morning on 105.3 The Fan, the natural move would be for the Cowboys to hand the offense to backup quarterback Cooper Rush. According to Jones, though, there could be some added wrinkles, too, which would include third-string quarterback Trey Lance.
“Let’s just don’t dismiss the possibility of doing anything,” Jones said, when asked if the team considered going with Lance in Prescott’s absence. “It’s not impossible to incorporate some of the skills that we might get from both quarterbacks.”
Jones was then asked if it would take an injury to Rush in order for Lance to start a game, to which the Cowboys’ owner and GM kept his answer vague.
“I wouldn’t get into that but obviously, (Lance) has got to be front and center a lot because you’re one play away from not having Cooper,” Jones said. “From that alone, much less there are things we can do with him that I think can add punch to the offense.”
Trey Lance’s preseason performance
| OPPONENT | A-C | YDS | TD-INT | RUSH | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
25-41 |
188 |
0-0 |
6-44 |
0 |
|
|
15-23 |
151 |
1-0 |
7-34 |
1 |
|
|
33-49 |
323 |
1-5 |
11-90 |
1 |
Although Jones didn’t slam the door on Lance potentially starting, it sounds like Rush would be the primary quarterback and Lance would serve as the backup, as well as potentially being a gadget player who has some packages in the offense. Even though Jones was speaking on it, that approach ultimately lies with head coach and offensive play caller, Mike McCarthy.
How much of that will actually materialize remains to be seen. McCarthy spoke very highly of Rush on Monday. However, it’s worth noting that in 2017, McCarthy’s last full season with the Green Bay Packers, he did sign Taysom Hill as an undrafted free agent and had him on the roster throughout training camp. McCarthy hoped to bring him back to the team after final roster cuts but Hill was claimed by the New Orleans Saints and found his footing in the NFL as a quarterback gadget player.
Eye on the future
The Cowboys didn’t sell at the trade deadline but the move they made were with eye on the future, beyond 2024. As Jon Machota wrote, the price on acquiring Jonathan Mingo from the Carolina Panthers was rich but it’s also not a move to bolster the 2024 team, even if the Cowboys can get by in saying that it is because Mingo will be immediately available.
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In reality, this is the Cowboys looking ahead to an offseason in which 31-year-old Brandin Cooks will most likely walk in free agency and the Cowboys will be in the market for a wide receiver. Instead of waiting to see how the leaves fell in free agency and the draft, the Cowboys chose to get a player they were high on in the 2023 draft process. A fourth-round pick still seems like a lot when considering how much Mingo has struggled through his first season and a half in the NFL. The Panthers aren’t a great situation for any receiver but Mingo has still been underwhelming, no matter how low you drop the standards. The Cowboys also essentially traded away two years of a player on a rookie deal, as their 2025 fourth-round pick would have had four years on the rookie deal instead of Mingo’s two years.
It wasn’t a colossally awful trade but a head-scratcher nonetheless. The trade deadline was not an appropriate forum for the Cowboys this season. This time of the year is for plugging a hole or two, not constructing a team. The Cowboys are not one piece away from contending, especially considering the injuries.
Dan Quinn has things rolling with the Commanders in his first season there. (Amber Searls / Imagn Images)
Truly all in?
If you want to see what a team that actually is all in looks like, you can stay in the division and look at the Cowboys’ old friend, Dan Quinn, in Washington. The Commanders acquired four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore from the Saints. At 7-2, the Commanders are one game back of the Detroit Lions, who added Za’Darius Smith on Tuesday, for the lead in the NFC.
The Commanders will have to battle the Philadelphia Eagles, who are 6-2, for NFC East supremacy but the Commanders have looked like the class of the division this season. There’s no reason for them to not ride that wave and make the most of it, even though their overall situation isn’t Super Bowl-or-bust.
For further proof, check out Mike Jones’ trade deadline winners and losers.
Worthy of caution
The Cowboys and Prescott are doing the right thing in being cautious with the hamstring injury. Front of mind should be what is best for Prescott and his health. Watching him walk off the field to the locker room on Sunday in Atlanta, there was clearly a limp. People who are not doctors shouldn’t pretend to play one, on television or otherwise.
Dak Prescott leaving the field in Atlanta pic.twitter.com/p2x2Zfrzlz
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 3, 2024
Hamstring injuries vary in severity and Prescott’s seems to be pretty bad. If you go back and watch the play where it happened at the end of the third quarter on the incompletion to Jalen Brooks, you can see how it felt for him immediately. On the following play, he couldn’t even adjust enough to complete a screen pass to Jake Ferguson.
Prescott isn’t just the Cowboys’ present; after the new deal in September, he is their future, too. It’s in everybody’s best interest to be careful with him, especially in what appears to be a lost season, anyways.
Your reading list
• Dane Brugler has his midseason All-Rookie team and while none of the Cowboys’ rookies received top honors, several picked up honorable-mention recognition.
• As you can imagine, the Cowboys also don’t have anyone in the running for MVP. Check out the frontrunners entering Week 10.
• Playoffs? So, you’re saying there’s still a chance? Technically, yes. But draw your own conclusions based on The Athletic’s Austin Mock’s latest playoff projections.
• Ted Nguyen’s excellent breakdown of his Week 9 best and worst coaching decisions.
(Top photo of Trey Lance: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)
