The Cowboys Floundering Ways Hinder Their Search For A Reliable Backup
The Dallas Cowboys are a floundering mess when it comes to backup Quarterbacks. They almost never invest in a decent one. On the few occasions they do try, it always seems to backfire. They are more often than not, their own worst enemy in this search.
Backup quarterbacks are a bone of contention, with the front office and for a lot of us Cowboys fans. The few times we have had a reliable backup, circumstances have ended up making them the eventual starter. Drew Bledsoe getting benched for Tony Romo or Dak Prescott replacing Tony because of injury, for example. This is not a good thing.
Injuries are a part of all sports, but in football, they happen with much more frequency. It’s a full-contact sport. You need reliable backups at every position. Why then do the Cowboys always seem to skimp on backups for THE MOST IMPORTANT POSITION IN THE GAME? This floundering is absolutely infuriating to some of us fans.
The Roots Beneath The Floundering Mess
There is a single villain to blame in all of this, Jerry Jones. He thinks backups are never supposed to see the field, so he doesn’t usually pay them. The current backup Cooper Rush is a perfect example of this. He’s been with the team for five years now, and he is still making the base salary of $358,200 a year.
He’s been loyal and patient waiting for his opportunity, and does Jerry reward him? Of course not, instead he treats him like an expendable employee. Most people who work a job for five years without getting a raise, tend to end up just doing the minimum. Cooper’s performance on Sunday, against The Cincinnati Bengals, kind of speaks to this.
He came out strong in the first half, and when things looked like they might get out of hand he did just enough to keep his job. The Cowboys’ only score in the second half was a last-second winning field goal. Sound familiar? I’m sure we’ve all worked with someone like that. It’s frustrating but knowing their loyalty has never been rewarded it is also somewhat understandable. No one wants to give their all for someone who doesn’t value them. Especially when they’ve seen a track record of disrespect like this, from their employer.
Jerry Has Always Been Floundering In Regards To QB Evaluation
In Jerry’s 30-plus years as Owner and GM, there has been only ONE traditional franchise quarterback, Troy Aikman. The closest the Cowboys have ever gotten to drafting a quarterback in the first round was Quincy Carter in 2001. He was taken in the second round.
Now I do understand that drafting a quarterback in the first round doesn’t guarantee anything. I also know that not even trying is not the best solution though. It’s kind of like the Lottery. You can’t win if you don’t play. Jerry hasn’t played since 1989.
If he hadn’t gotten lucky with Tony and Dak this franchise wouldn’t even be sniffing the playoffs in this millennium. Hanging your franchise’s hopes on an undrafted player and fourth-round pick respectively is a risky proposition. As everyone with two eyes has witnessed, it’s just not working.
There Is Only One QB Who Would Make A Difference
Before this Sunday the quarterback that people were talking about the most as the best option was Jimmy Garoppolo. There were two problems with this, even before Sunday. He has a no-trade clause, and Jerry would never take on a contract that big for a backup that is basically a rental in his mind. As of Sunday, there is now a third problem. Trey Lance went down for the season. So, Jimmy is the starter. He’s not going anywhere now.
I’ve heard people also throw out names like Tyler Huntley and Mason Rudolph. The problem with them is that neither is a big upgrade over Cooper. When you factor in the fact that they would have to learn the system before they can even play, you might as well just stick with Cooper.
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As I see it, there is only one quarterback that is available that would make a difference big enough to sacrifice the money and prep time. The problem is not only would Jerry never sign him, the entire league has blackballed him. Yes, you guessed it, I’m talking about Colin Kaepernick. So, I guess that means the Cowboys are stuck with Cooper for the foreseeable future.