Getty Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones
The Dallas Cowboys signed a QB3 after losing starter Dak Prescott for the rest of the season. There’s “unlikely” to be an additional move for QB1, per owner/general manager Jerry Jones.
“We’ve got our quarterback in Andy Dalton,” Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan, ruling out a veteran trade.
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Dalton signed a one-year contract with Dallas back in May following a decade-long reign under center for the Cincinnati Bengals. His deal included $3 million guaranteed and is worth up to $7 million in performance-based incentives and escalators, most of which he now stands to unlock.
The soon-to-be 33-year-old replaced Prescott, who suffered a compound ankle fracture and dislocation, in the third quarter of Sunday’s 37-34 victory over the Giants. He completed 9-of-11 passes for 111 yards. Dalton’s highlight was a 38-yard sideline strike to Michael Gallup in the final seconds, setting up a game-winning Greg Zuerlein field goal.
To hear his teammates tell it, there was a seamless transition to Dalton, whose leadership is evident as soon as he steps into the huddle where the same mantra is repeated.
“I came here to win. I came here to play. So let’s do it,” Gallup parroted to reporters Wednesday, via The Athletic.
And when Dak went down?
“Focus up. This is what I came here for,” Dalton told the offense.
Dalton is entrenched in his starting capacity until season’s end, whenever that may be. Seventh-round rookie Ben DiNucci will work as his backup, with recently-poached Garrett Gilbert serving as the third-stringer.
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Stephen Jones Grateful for Red Rifle
Not many teams boast the luxury of the Cowboys, who, to their credit, had enough foresight this offseason to secure arguably the NFL’s best backup behind their franchise signal-caller.
Dalton’s resume features more than 34,000 passing yards, 200 touchdowns, 70 career wins, and three Pro Bowl trips. This is not Cooper Rush stepping in for Prescott to keep Dallas afloat. This is Dalton fulfilling Dak’s shoes as the offensive facilitator, the point man that makes everything go — the savior to his superiors.
“We’re so fortunate to have Andy Dalton. He’s just been a pleasure to have since the day he walked in the door. We certainly can be a very aggressive passing football team,” team VP Stephen Jones said Monday on 105.3 The Fan. “He’s obviously not going to have the mobility that Dak (Prescott) has but, as you saw yesterday, when we had to have tremendous throws down the field (he was able to do that). He’s a pro. He’s led his team to the playoffs. He’s a winner.”
Offense Unchanged?
Common logic dictates the Cowboys will become a heavy, run-first unit with Prescott — the league’s leader passer entering Week 5 — sidelined and a $90 million running back wanting to be fed. Common logic is wrong in this case.
Broaching the topic of a silver and blue offense with Dalton at the controls, coordinator Kellen Moore hinted at the likely (and largely surprising) continuation of the status quo.
“I think we still need to play the same way,” Moore told reporters Monday, via the Dallas Morning News. “We still need to attack people, be aggressive. If people give us an opportunity downfield, we’re going for it.”
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL