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Dallas Cowboys: The backup quarterback situation

By Daniel Ruppert

Jan 3, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys center Travis Frederick (72) and quarterback Kellen Moore (17) in action during the game against the Washington Redskins at AT&T Stadium. The Redskins defeat the Cowboys 34-23. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys center Travis Frederick (72) and quarterback Kellen Moore (17) in action during the game against the Washington Redskins at AT&T Stadium. The Redskins defeat the Cowboys 34-23. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Dallas Cowboys decided not to grab a backup quarterback in free agency, nor did they grab one in the draft. So, what does that leave the backup situation looking like?

After the whirlwind offseason the Dallas Cowboys had in regards to Tony Romo, it was assured they would grab a veteran in free agency. When that didn’t happen, the thought was that perhaps they would select a quarterback in the later rounds of the NFL Draft. When that failed to occur, many felt that the additions of Cooper Rush and Austin Appleby weren’t quite enough for a number two quarterback. Apparently, everyone has forgotten or devalued Kellen Moore.

Let’s look back at the start of the 2016 NFL season. The Dallas Cowboys had a healthy Romo and a healthy Moore. They drafted Dak Prescott in the fourth round and everyone seemed to be at the very least satisfied with the quarterback situation. No one knew that Prescott would become the starter and be as good as he was last year. I know I didn’t, and I know the majority of fans didn’t, either.

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Then all of a sudden Romo went down, and it looked like Moore would assume the starting role with Prescott as the backup. Then Moore also went down with an injury, and well, we all know what happened with Prescott. It was a luxury to have Romo to assume the backup role when healthy. But again, this offseason changed that luxury.

Now that Romo is retired and Dak is the starter, it looks like Moore is the primary backup again. The Dallas Cowboys are one injury away from Moore being the starter. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen, but we have to look at reality. It could happen after all.

However, is this a bad thing? Not necessarily. I’ve seen a lot of comments and heard a lot of discussion that Dallas needs a veteran backup. Well believe it or not, they have one. Remember Moore has had five seasons with most of them backing up Romo. If you’re going to learn the game, you could do a lot worse than Romo.

Any other backup the Cowboys would have gotten in the offseason would have probably wanted to fight for a starting role. Even though competition is good, this is Dak’s second season. There is no need to pit him against a veteran with whom he would need to learn from. It could cause issues for both the backup and Dak. We would all like to think the backup would be happy to play that role, but let’s be honest; these are competitive people. Even though Romo was cordial in his speech, you know it ate him up to not start.

So what do the Dallas Cowboys decide to do? Well, they kept the veteran they already knew and that was willing to play the backup role. Bringing in Rush and Appleby is nothing more than the Cowboys having camp arms and hoping they find their scout team quarterback. With even more hope they eventually become strong backups if Moore leaves. It’s the nature of the NFL after all. Just ask any quarterback who started as a backup and went on to get a starting contract. It happens because finding a starting quality quarterback is difficult.

Moore isn’t bad either. Maybe people forgot 2015. I know at least many of us wish we forgot about it. After Romo went down, the Dallas Cowboys went with a few quarterbacks who had starting experience and it was ugly. It wasn’t until Moore came in that there was a flash of hope the Cowboys might win with someone other than Romo. Moore actually performed well, all things considered.

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So let’s all wait to see Moore this preseason. He is the backup right now. The Cowboys could be in a worse position after all. Ask the Browns. Rush and Appleby could prove to be better than what everyone has thought about them and that would be fine. For now, Moore is the Dallas Cowboys’ backup quarterback, and that isn’t a bad thing.

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