Getty Nick Foles would improve the Cowboys depth at quarterback.
The Dallas Cowboys quarterback depth continues to be a talking point heading into the season. The Cowboys claimed former Panthers quarterback Will Grier off waivers, but Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox is pushing the team to add a veteran as insurance behind Dak Prescott.
Knox suggested a trade proposal where the Cowboys land Bears backup quarterback Nick Foles in exchange for a sixth-round pick. The Bears have a crowded quarterback room after drafting Justin Fields and signing former Cowboys backup Andy Dalton this offseason.
“The problem is Dallas doesn’t have an experienced veteran as insurance like it did in 2020 when, coincidentally, the Cowboys had current Chicago Bears quarterback Andy Dalton,” Knox detailed. “Dallas has Cooper Rush and recently claimed Will Grier. However, they have just seven games and two starts of regular-season experience between them. If Prescott gets injured again or performs poorly, the Cowboys’ season could be sunk. This brings us to Foles, who is the No. 3 quarterback on Chicago’s depth chart. The Bears are open to moving Foles and may be willing to give him a voice in his destination.”
McCarthy on Potentially Adding Newton: ‘We’re Very Excited About the Group That We Have’
Foles has had brief stints as an NFL starting quarterback with the Bears, Jaguars, Eagles and Rams. The veteran quarterback threw for 1,852 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 64.7% of his passes in nine games last season.
Foles has a base salary of $4 million this season as part of a three-year, $24 million deal. The price tag could prove to be higher than the Cowboys are willing to pay for a backup quarterback.
The Cowboys appear to be content with their current group of quarterbacks heading into the season. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy emphasized that the team was pleased with their quarterback depth chart when asked about any potential interest in Cam Newton.
“To sit here and talk about any of the players not on our roster, I don’t think there’s really anything that’s beneficial that comes out of that for us,” McCarthy said, per USA Today. “But Cam, I’ve had a chance to compete against Cam, chance to watch some of his tape in New England. I still think he has a ton of football left. But we’re very excited about the group that we have.”
The Cowboys Claimed Grier off Waivers & Re-Signed DiNucci to the Practice Squad
The Cowboys have likely already made their main quarterback moves of the season. Grier is a former highly-touted quarterback prospect coming out of West Virginia but failed to take hold of the Carolina starting job in his previous two NFL seasons.
The Cowboys now have a total of four quarterbacks on the roster with Cooper Rush as the team’s backup, and Dallas re-signed Ben DiNucci to the practice squad after he cleared waivers following his release. McCarthy broke down why the team opted to bring in Grier over some of the other available options.
“Going through the quarterback position, Will, we thought was the best prospect out there,” McCarthy explained, per USA Today. “Obviously remember him when he came out of West Virginia. [Quarterbacks coach] Doug [Nussmeier] actually coached him at Florida for a year. So [we] had a chance to study him when he was at Carolina two years ago and felt like through the personnel department and coaching staff, we had really good information on him and thought he’d be a great fit for us.”