Getty Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys looks on before a game.
The Dallas Cowboys have a bona fide starter at quarterback with Dak Prescott, but the team could still shake up the QB room either way.
Heavy has explored trade possibilities involving the Cowboys QB room, such as dealing backup QB Cooper Rush for a proven kick returner and dynamic running back in Seattle Seahawks RB DeeJay Dallas. Now, Dallas and owner Jerry Jones are being told to add to the quarterback room rather than take away from it.
Inside the Star writer Rocky Garza Jr. recently urged the Cowboys to trade for Philadelphia Eagles QB Gardner Minshew II. Minshew has starting and backup experience since arriving in the league in 2019, and Garza’s logic focuses around the fact that none of the current Dallas backups are proven players in the NFL.
“Minshew would immediately elevate your backup QB position, and you could move on from one or two of the QBs on the roster to make room for other needs,” Garza Jr. wrote. “He has starter experience, is cheap [on the last year of his rookie deal], and you can run a similar offense around him if Dak [Prescott] went down.”
Cowboys fans have seen backups be put into action with Prescott at the helm, but is Minshew II worth the move?
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Minshew Mania Comes to the Eagles
There’s an argument to be made that Minshew has shown enough ability to be a low-end starting QB in the league. The Jacksonville Jaguars selected the former Washington State star in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL draft, and an injury to Nick Foles in the 2019 season-opener shoved Minshew into the spotlight and the “Mania” began.
In 12 starts in 2019, Minshew went 6-6 and threw for 3271 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions per PFR. Pretty impressive numbers for a rookie QB, although his season was spliced with Foles’ recovery.
In 2020, the Jaguars committed to Minshew to start the season, but a poor team and injuries drastically affected the QB. He still threw for 2259 yards in eight games, tossing 16 touchdowns to 5 interceptions.
With Trevor Lawrence waiting in the 2021 NFL draft, Jacksonville traded Minshew to the Eagles, where he started two games and threw for 422 passing yards, four touchdowns and an INT.
There’s no question that Minshew can play at this level, and the numbers imply that he’s about as good as a backup as you can have.
Do Cowboys Need to Upgrade?
Besides Rush, the Cowboys also have Ben DiNucci and Will Grier on the roster. All three have potential and a bit of NFL experience, but none have the track record Minshew possesses.
The prospect of adding Minshew is all about preparing for a scenario where Prescott gets hurt. From Garza’s perspective, that’s worth the cost of trading for the Eagles QB.
“While I don’t wish or hope Dak [Prescott] gets hurt, the front office needs to be aggressive in upgrading the position because you’re only wasting another year if you think any of the current QBs behind Prescott can win you games. So, please Jerry and Stephen [Jones], go after Minshew or any QB. It won’t hurt you,” Garza wrote.
Having Minshew means the season isn’t a wash if Prescott goes down, but an actual move materializing completely depends on the Cowboys’ confidence in Rush or the other two backup QBs.
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Cowboys Told to Make Surprise Trade for NFC East QB: ‘Be Aggressive’