The Dallas Cowboys’ offense did not look good in Week 8 against the Philadelphia Eagles. A bigger test comes to town when the team returns home to host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9. The Steelers have one of the league’s top defenses and Dallas has recently learned that backup QB Andy Dalton is going to miss at least a second-consecutive game.
Dalton was knocked out in Week 7 with a concussion, but a positive COVID-19 test has been added to his plate along with still being in the protocol. Seventh-round rookie Ben DiNucci started against the Eagles and was overwhelmed. It looks like the club may go elsewhere for a starting solution against the Steelers, as former backup Cooper Rush may get the nod.
Rush was signed last week to the club’s practice squad, but after DiNucci’s lackluster showing, may jump from third string to starter per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The #Cowboys are seriously contemplating turning to QB Cooper Rush as their starter this week… which would require he get activated from the practice squad, source said. With Andy Dalton down with COVID, it may not be Ben DiNucci again.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 3, 2020
Earlier on Tuesday, owner Jerry Jones said that the start for the small-school DiNucci was too much on the youngster’s plate. DiNucci was 21 for 40 for just 180 yards and eight of his completions were throws behind the line of scrimmage.
“I think that it was a lot for him. I think we certainly, as a team, paid the price to have him come in and under those circumstances. And that’s almost trite. It was frankly more than he could handle. I don’t know what you could have expected for somebody to come in under those circumstances. But they’ve got, Philadelphia, if they’re strong anywhere, they can bring the pressure and they can bring some challenges defensively. They did. It was dramatic. And, so, it’s tough to win a ballgame like that.”
It was apparent from when franchise quarterback Dak Prescott went down against the New York Giants the club was not enthusiastic about DiNucci possibly seeing time under center this season.
The team immediately signed Garrett Gilbert off the Cleveland Browns practice squad. They also looked to add David Blough off the Detroit practice squad that same week, but the Lions moved him to their 53-man roster to protect him.
Last week they signed Rush, a 2017 UDFA who spent his three seasons backing up Prescott in Dallas. He was a street free agent but spent 2019 in Kellen Moore’s offense, which means he’ll enter the week with more experience in the system than the overwhelmed DiNucci.
Whether or not it will make a difference for the 2-6 Cowboys remains to be seen. Rush showed promise in the 2017 preseason, but didn’t play all year and never elevated himself since and was replaced by Dalton as the primary backup with the move to Mike McCarthy as the head coach.
Now he’s back in the fold and could be under center on Sunday.
He’s thrown just three passes with only a two-yard completion on his resume.
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