Cowboys Camp: Who Backs Up QB Dak?

As Oxnard awaits ... It's a three-horse QB race. Or maybe it's no race at all.

After Dak Prescott injured his ankle in Week 5 last season, the Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks rotated like a merry-go-round.

Andy Dalton was the primary backup and fulfilled the reason why the team signed him in the offseason, which negated the reason to roster Cooper Rush, who played understudy for three years under Dak.

Ben DiNucci and Garrett Gilbert each got some run as well, but it was ultimately a place-hold until Dalton returned from injury.

However, Dalton left Big D for Chicago and this scrap-heap collection remains to fight for the QB2 spot.

Who's who as we are on the eve of starting training camp in Oxnard?

READ MORE: Dez On 'Down-And-Out' Status Of Ex Cowboys Star

Ben DiNucci

The almost-cult hero started one game last season for the Cowboys, a Sunday Night Football loss to the Eagles in which he threw for 180 yards and no touchdowns.

Considering he is still looking for his first NFL touchdown, DiNucci is probably the least likely of the three options to be Dak's primary backup. 

Someone had to play quarterback, which is why DiNucci got some run last year, but it's difficult to see why he would get that playing time this year unless he has made significant strides on the practice field since his first NFL start in November.

Chances of being QB2: 5%

Cooper Rush

Rush is the lone player in this backup quarterback competition that does not have a start under his belt. However, of the three, he has the most experience with the Cowboys.

Rush was waived in the 2020 offseason after the team signed Dalton after three years as Prescott's backup but has not needed to step in to play significant snaps due to Dak's good health before 2020.

The organization likes Rush, which explains why the team brought him back for a second stint, but it's uncertain if the team brought him in to return to his original role or if the team brought him in to put pressure on DiNucci and Gilbert.

Chances of being QB2: 40%

Garrett Gilbert

DiNucci was benched following his Week 8 start in favor of former Texas and SMU quarterback Garrett Gilbert.

Gilbert, 30, was the MVP of the Alliance of American Football in 2019 before the league folded in the middle of its inaugural year.

His play in the AAF landed him back in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns' practice squad before the Cowboys signed him to the active roster in October.

In Gilbert's lone start, he threw for 243 yards, a touchdown and a pick and had a chance on the final play to beat the then-unbeaten Steelers, but fell short.

Dalton returned from injury in the next game and supplanted Gilbert as the starter for the rest of the year.

Gilbert has the best professional tape of the bunch but is the oldest of the three. However, when you're looking for a backup quarterback, age is really just a number. And we can argue that this three-horse race doesn't include near enough horsepower in case Dak Prescott ever goes down again.

Chances of being QB2: 55%

CONTINUE READING: NFC East Champs? Expert Says Cowboys (Or Maybe 2 Other Teams)