Cowboys 'Looking' at Signing Cut QB Cam (But Are They, Really?)

Could Cam Newton, who was released by the New England Patriots on Tuesday, fortify the position?

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys are thin at backup quarterback, with Cooper Rush "winning'' the job as the No. 2 QB behind Dak Prescott.

Could Cam Newton, who was released by the New England Patriots on Tuesday, fortify the position?

Reporter Josina Anderson has stirred things up a bit with the following mention on Twitter:

My understanding is the Dallas #Cowboys will do their due diligence in reviewing QB Cameron Newton's newfound availability, per sources.

Will look at it all across the board with additional talent hitting the market, including today.

— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) August 31, 2021

"My understanding,'' Anderson writes, "is the Dallas Cowboys will do their due diligence in reviewing QB Cameron Newton's newfound availability, per sources. Will look at it all across the board with additional talent hitting the market, including today.''

Anderson is a fine and connected reporter. But there is a level of vagueness to this report that removes every bit of weightiness from it.

Are the Cowboys "looking''? Always, as well they should, because Rush didn't really "win'' anything on the way to existing today as the Dallas backup quarterback, with Garrett Gilbert and Ben DiNucci having been released on Tuesday.

READ MORE: Cowboys Make QB Moves

What of Anderson's term "due diligence''? A peek behind the curtain: This is a translation of something some Cowboys higher-ups habitually do when responding to texts asking about available players.

"We're always looking for ways to improve our roster,'' is the phrase commonly used.

Anderson writes, "Will look at it all ...'' Which is indeed true. They will "look at'' this idea. They will contemplate how Newton might handle being a backup, they will look at the money, they will consider his relationship with Prescott. They will do all of these things.

Newton, 32, is a former superstar and a big personality and in the end, he might just be heading back to New England, his release more about paperwork than about losing his job to rookie Mac Jones.

But this report is even delivered with the soft introduction, "My understanding,'' which is - another behind-the-curtain peek - "reporter-speak'' for "I'm not completely committed to what I'm about to say.''

READ MORE: Cowboys Cuts As They Happen