The Dallas Cowboys are down, but it’s too early to declare them out of the NFC playoff race at 3-6. To compete, however, Dallas is going to need an uptick in quarterback play over what they’ve gotten from Cooper Rush and Trey Lance over the past two weeks.
Rush has fallen well shy of middling, completing just over 50% of his passes (26-of-48) for 150 yards and 1 TD across two losses to the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles. Lance, meanwhile, went 4-of-6 for 1 INT and took 2 sacks against Philly last weekend.
Dak Prescott underwent hamstring surgery on Wednesday, Nov. 13, which will sideline him for the remainder of the year. However, the Cowboys also traded a fourth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers for relatively unproven wide receiver Jonathan Mingo a couple of days after Prescott suffered that injury.
The move indicates that Dallas owner Jerry Jones still intends to try and compete this season with the likes of Mingo and star wideout CeeDee Lamb healthy. However, with neither Rush or Lance having proven yet that they are up to the task, the window is open for Jones to make a free-agent play for a veteran QB with a vastly superior NFL resume to both of those players.