Dallas Cowboys season opening 53-man roster prediction

Quarterbacks (3)

Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush, Garrett Gilbert

Dak Prescott started off training camp with a scare, but now he’s back to throwing at a normal rate just in time for week one. It’s as if listening to the doctors and the Dallas Cowboys social media’s oddly cryptic tweet about the situation was the right move all along! Who woulda thunk it?

With Prescott out all preseason, the other three quarterbacks on the roster have had their respective time to shine during the preseason. Gilbert looked at his best against the Steelers, Ben DiNucci was the best quarterback against the Cardinals, and Cooper Rush was commanding the offense against a lowly Houston Texans team. But, it was the ease with which Rush was driving down the field against Houston that started to turn some heads.

Up until that point, Rush was completing passes at a high rate but with an average to a below-average depth of target. The offensive line understandably wasn’t very good, but even so, Cooper Rush’s lack of arm strength was noticeable alongside Garrett Gilbert and Ben DiNucci.

That didn’t stop Rush from playing like his 2017 preseason self. His passes showed good touch and anticipation, while most importantly, showing good awareness in the red zone to actually get the team a touchdown.

Ever since that game Rush has been running with the second-stringers and has been taking first-team reps with the team when Dak Prescott sits out periods. This would normally suggest that Garrett Gilbert’s time with the team is pretty much finished, but considering the current state of the Cowboys, it’s hard to bank on that mindset.

Fans have been complaining about the lack of talent at the backup quarterback position all preseason. The argument makes little sense as not all 32 teams have starting quarterbacks, so how do teams expect to have good backups as well?

However, using that same thought process should be good enough to validate the need for Rush and Gilbert. If Prescott were to suffer from an injury again, the team would have the choice between two somewhat competent backup quarterbacks to fill in.

As for Ben DiNucci, his spot on the team’s practice squad is ready to be occupied.