Dallas Cowboys: Is Kellen Moore a keeper?
One of the many questions entering this offseason is the evaluation of the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, and who will not only back up Tony Romo next season, but who will become the heir apparent to the veteran quarterback.
The Cowboys ended the 2015 season with a 34-23 loss to the NFC East champion Washington Redskins, splitting the season series, but the Cowboys finished the year 4-12 overall, giving them the fourth draft selection in the 2016 NFL Draft.
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As for the starting quarterback the final two weeks of the regular season, Kellen Moore finished Sunday’s loss 33-of-48 for 435 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. For his season, in three total games Moore completed 58.7 percent of his passes (61-of-104) for 779 yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions.
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Moore, who was winless as a starter, did play both of his starts without No. 1 receiver Dez Bryant, who the Cowboys shut down with injuries, and a lot of the focus of the offense went to the rushing game. Moore finished with a quarterback ranking of 71.0, was sacked five times and averaged 7.5 yards per completion to his receivers.
But now a decision needs to be made on Moore … did he do enough to earn a spot on the roster next season, or should the Cowboys look elsewhere for a backup quarterback/quarterback of the future this offseason?
The Cowboys last drafted a quarterback in 2009 when they selected Stephen McGee in the fourth round at No. 101 overall from Texas A&M. The last time the Cowboys selected a quarterback in the first round was in 1989 when they selected Troy Aikman with the No. 1 overall selection.
Moore needs to be evaluated on more than just his overall numbers, because he didn’t have the luxury of being a full-time starter or backup most of this season, and the offense didn’t have all the weapons at his disposal when he made his starts, plus the season was already a wash once he was named the starter for Weeks 16 and 17.
Following Sunday’s loss, Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News wrote this of Moore and next season:
"“I don’t think he secured that role with his play in the final three games. They’ll continue to look at their options and he’ll have to continue improving. Moore certainly doesn’t have the ideal size or arm strength, but he shows some things that make you think he has a place in this league.”"
I tend to agree with that assessment, because though he did play well in his short amount of time on the field, he did have a few too many turnovers, and I never felt comfortable with him as a No. 1 type of quarterback. That said, I never felt completely comfortable with Brandon Weeden or Matt Cassel as the starters, either.
The backups of the Cowboys produced just one win when they made their starts, and since this is the worst season since 1989 when the Cowboys went 1-15, it is very evident the offense of the Cowboys is based too much around Romo, and they have to be better prepared for this situation if it were to arise next season.
As for Moore, I believe just from what I’ve seen, he should stay around this offseason, but he needs some good, quality competition to go against during that time as well, whether that be bringing in a free agent, trading for another quarterback or selecting one early in the draft in late April.
Todd Archer of ESPN.com quoted Cowboys General Manager/Owner Jerry Jones with his opinion of Moore on Monday:
"“His background and (offensive coordinator Scott Linehan’s) background with him and these games, I think he’s got the potential to be a winning (backup),” Jones said. “I think he can ultimately win games in the NFL.”"
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All we do know is the 2015 plan didn’t work, and something much better must be in place when Week 1 of the ’16 season arrives. Moore does deserve to compete for the job, but it shouldn’t be handed to him based on the ’15 season.
This quarterback situation will be very interesting to watch this offseason, and as always, the Cowboys will most likely make it exciting to watch play out.