The Dallas Cowboys need to solidify the backup quarterback position and Andy Dalton would be the perfect player for them to add in free agency
For the past four seasons, the Dallas Cowboys have been incredibly fortunate under center. Dak Prescott has started 64 consecutive games, which most fans know wasn’t always the case before he took over. In fact, Prescott only even got his chance to start as a rookie in 2016 due to their issues with keeping their quarterback upright.
Tony Romo, who was one of the best to ever wear the star, missed time in each of his final five seasons in the NFL, and Dallas had varying degrees of success without him. With Matt Cassel, Brandon Weeden, and Kellen Moore in 2015, they couldn’t seem to buy a win.
However, with Prescott, they were unable to get Romo back in the lineup.
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There were also some flashes of good play with Jon Kitna and Kyle Orton during Romo’s career. And the constant need to go to a backup for a game here or there led to the Cowboys putting an emphasis on that position. That no longer seems to be the case.
For the past three seasons, Dallas has had Cooper Rush as their primary backup and his play in the preseason has been hit or miss. In the regular season, he has performed in only mop-up duty and has two yards on 1-of-3 passing (all in 2017).
This season, the Cowboys have a lot more on the line and should once again make the reserve quarterback spot a priority. And it just so happens, a perfect candidate in Andy Dalton has recently hit the open market.
Dalton, a former second-round pick out of TCU, was cut by the Cincinnati Bengals who took Joe Burrow first overall in the NFL Draft. A Texas-native, Dalton has 133 career starts with a record of 70-61-2 and at one point led his team to four-straight seasons with 10-plus wins.
Of course, the knock on Dalton is that he couldn’t get it done in the playoffs, evidenced by Cincinnati’s 0-4 record with him in the postseason. Most of us know that’s not all on the quarterback but taking the blame comes with the position — as does the glory when they do win.
For Dallas, they wouldn’t be leaning on Dalton as a playoff leader but rather someone who could step in and keep the regular season from falling apart should Prescott have to miss time. And in the regular season, Dalton has been pretty good.
In nine seasons, he has completed 62 percent of his passes for 31,594 yards with 204 touchdowns against 118 picks. He isn’t exactly a player who will set the world on fire but he’s a safe passer that could help get the ball to the playmakers in Big D.
Dalton would be capable of moving the ball with Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, CeeDee Lamb and Ezekiel Elliott around him. With that kind of talent, they can’t risk this season falling apart, and landing Dalton would ensure the team could stay competitive even if the worst were to happen.