5 Most disappointing Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks of all-time
By Randy Gurzi
2. Chad Hutchinson (2002-2003)
When the Cowboys hired Bill Parcells in 2003, he was given an incredible task of trying to find someone to replace Troy Aikman who was released in 2000. The biggest struggle in his short tenure with the team was landing that player, although it wasn’t for lack of trying.
Parcells left no stone unturned, including looking at Chad Hutchinson. Like the aforementioned Drew Henson, Hutchinson attempted a career in baseball before falling back on football. He spent four seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals organization but then shifted his focus to the NFL and held an open workout in 2002.
The Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs, and Dallas Cowboys attended his workout and he wound up landing a contract with Dallas. Hutchinson did well enough in his workout to earn a three-year deal that included a $3.1 million guarantee and as a 25-year-old rookie, he ended up making nine starts.
In those starts both Hutchinson and the team struggled to win games and he was able to complete just 50.8 percent of his passes for 1,555 yards with a 7-to-8 touchdown-to-interception mark. After that, he threw just two more passes as a Dallas Cowboy.
His biggest accomplishment was the fact that he was the starter when Emmitt Smith broke the NFL record for the most rushing yards all-time — which also happened to be Hutchinson’s first start in the NFL.
Hutchinson then signed with the Chicago Bears following a stint in NFL Europe. Chicago showed interest during his workout and had former Cowboys quarterback coach Wade Wilson under contract as well, helping him make the transition.
Still, he didn’t fare much better for them. going 1-4 as the starter while throwing for just 903 yards with four touchdowns and three picks.