Dallas Cowboys: Could Christian Hackenberg be the answer?

The Dallas Cowboys don’t need a quarterback that is the franchise leader for next season – that spot still belongs to Tony Romo – but they can’t wait any longer to start the process of finding and grooming his replacement.

Next season, the Cowboys should have Romo as the starter, possibly keep Kellen Moore as the backup (he at least deserves a chance to compete for the backup spot), and for a quarterback for the future, what about drafting one in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft?

Which quarterback should that be, as there will be a good number of quarterbacks available early in the round? How about three-year Penn State signal caller Christian Hackenberg?

Really, you might ask … Didn’t you see his overall play the past two seasons at Penn State? My answer to that is yes, and though his numbers weren’t great and there were some decision-making flaws when under pressure, there is still a good, solid playmaking quarterback in Hackenberg, and who better to help groom him than a former NFL quarterback Jason Garrett and the rest of the offensive coaching staff of the Cowboys?

Erik Lambert of NFL Mocks compared Hackenberg to Chicago Bears starting quarterback Jay Cutler:

"“A lot of positive and negative similarities here. Like Cutler, Hackenberg has a strong arm (not quite as strong), a big body that shows an ability to run and a tendency to slice up defenses when he’s in rhythm. However, also like Cutler, he’s coming in with bad mechanics, trouble handling pressure and streaky accuracy and decision-making.”"

I agree with this assessment to a certain degree, but I still come back to the offensive line play of the Nittany Lions this past season, as it forced a lot of pressure on Hackenberg, so I believe any team who drafts Hackenberg in the second or third round will be gaining a quality player.

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Though he was injured in his final collegiate game, the Taxslayer.com Bowl, it might have been a sign to declare for the draft because for the past two seasons he was beat up a lot in games, as he was sacked 38 times this past season, and for his three years as a Nittany Lion, he was sacked a total of 103 times.

Even being sacked that many times, he still finished with 48 career touchdowns, with 20 of those coming his freshman season, the lone season he played under current Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien.

Here is a look at Hackenberg as a freshman at Penn State:

The 6-4, 228-pound quarterback finished his collegiate career with 693 completions (1,235 attempts) with these season breakdowns of his year-by-year stats:

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• 2013: 231-392, 2,955 yards, 20 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 21 times sacked, 134.0 QB Rating, 58.9 completion percentage.

• 2014: 270-484, 2,977 yards, 12 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, 44 times sacked, 109.4 QB Rating, 55.8 completion percentage.

• 2015: 192-359, 2,525 yards, 16 touchdowns, six interceptions, 38 times sacked, 123.9 QB Rating, 53.5 completion percentage.

Though his offensive line did him no favors, there is still blame to put on Hackenberg as well. His decision making wasn’t the best (he needs to improve his presence in the pocket) – we all know that – but as I’ve said before in a Dallas Cowboys Mock Draft, I want to see how good Hackenberg can be with an offensive line that will give him some time to work, and the Cowboys have a very solid offensive line.

It is safe to say the jury is still out on Hackenberg, because even NFL scouts are split on what they see in the embattled former quarterback of Penn State.

Dane Brugler of NFL DraftScout.com, wrote this of the quarterback and what he’s capable of doing in the NFL:

"“There is no question that Hackenberg will benefit from NFL coaching and probably made the correct decision to leave Penn State now. But the game still moves at light speed for him and hasn’t show signs of slowing down. Overall, his physical traits, toughness and arm strength are ideal for the NFL, but Hackenberg’s deficiencies with his touch, placement and decision-making create strong doubt regarding his NFL future.”"

Now for the Cowboys … how would he fit into the offense of the team?

Well, for starters, he’s not Tony Romo, and the offense would look different with Hackenberg as the signal caller rather than Romo, because he isn’t the same type of quarterback as Romo. Remember, Romo went undrafted in 2004 when entering the NFL Draft and sat the bench his first two seasons before making his first start in 2006.

Oct 24, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Christian Hackenberg (14) directs the offense against the Maryland Terrapins at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports /

If the Cowboys want Hackenberg to groom for the future, they would get a quarterback who is said to need to improve his mechanics, but with very good upside potential that will impress if given the proper coaching and time to develop as a NFL quarterback.

With Hackenberg, it all comes down to development at the professional level (he really needs to become more accurate in his passing game), and fans and whatever team drafts him will have to show some patience.

Also, it should be noted at one time Hackenberg was thought of as a Top 10 pick in the draft before the start of the 2015 season, so there is high talent with Hackenberg, but he needs to really step up this offseason in the draft process to prove he is still the quarterback many thought he would be at the collegiate level.

Since the offensive scheme is built around Romo, maybe offensive coordinator Scott Lineman and head coach Jason Garrett need to make some changes to the scheme, because Romo isn’t getting any more durable or younger, and eventually they have to prepare for life without Romo, so why not start that next season in tweaking the scheme of the offense in some small ways?

Todd Archer of ESPN quoted Garrett about the offense this past season, with them knowing changes need to be made:

"“You have to do a thorough evaluation of scheme, of personnel, of everything. … You want to have systems that are good, that are comprehensive, that are flexible, that can attack different ways. You want all those kinds of things. We’ll evaluate our scheme, we’ll evaluate the guys who are running our scheme and we’ll do everything we can to improve.”"

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Yes, changes need to be made, and with the addition of Hackenberg, or any other possible quarterback that could be drafted, it is no secret other plans have to start being put in place. With a quarterback like Hackenberg, that would be a good start with the physical attributes he possesses. As mentioned before, he has some things to work on as well, but let’s be honest, every quarterback in the draft, and many currently in the NFL, can say that.

What are your thoughts on Hackenberg and how he would fit in with the Cowboys?

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