Getty Garrett Gilbert of the Dallas Cowboys looks for an open receiver.
As the quarterback carousel continues, a former Dallas Cowboys and Texas Longhorns quarterback is getting in the mix with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Dallas is committed to Dak Prescott for the foreseeable future, so the Cowboys haven’t had much of a role in the quarterback free agency saga. But they have seen a couple former starters that are free agents, including the 2020 duo of Andy Dalton and Garrett Gilbert.
While Dalton is still waiting to see where he ends up this offseason, Gilbert can now say he has a home in Las Vegas. The 30-year-old quarterback is joining the Raiders, as his agency Steinberg Sports announced on March 19.
“Congratulations to Garrett Gilbert on agreeing to terms with the @Raiders! We’re excited to watch you get after it in Vegas GG! #Raiders #LasVegasRaiders” the agency’s official account posted.
Gilbert has lived the definition of a “journeyman career” since he finished his college career at SMU, including his stop in Dallas, which saw injury issues give him an opportunity to start for the Cowboys in place of Dalton and Prescott.
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Gilbert’s Time with Cowboys and Many Others
In his first three seasons after college, Gilbert spent time bouncing around several NFL teams on their respective practice squads. As PFR shows, the former Cowboy didn’t get his first regular season appearance in the NFL until 2018 with the Carolina Panthers, four years after he was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the sixth round of 2014 NFL draft.
In 2019, Gilbert played in both the NFL and AAF. As an Orlando Apollo, he led the AAF in passing yards and passer rating, which led to five appearances with the Cleveland Browns in 2019.
In 2020, the Cowboys signed Gilbert off the Browns’ practice squad, as owner Jerry Jones and the Dallas front office needed to sign a backup QB after Prescott’s ankle injury in Week 5. With Prescott on the injured reserve the rest of the way, Dallas had to make do with Dalton and Gilbert.
Dalton being placed on the COVID-19 list made way for Ben DiNucci and Gilbert to get their first career NFL starts. Gilbert started against an undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers team in Week 9, where he completed 21 of 38 passes for 243 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Last season, Gilbert made it to the final round of cuts for the Cowboys before being released. He spent the majority of the 2021 season on the New England Patriots practice squad, but was signed by the Washington Football Team as an emergency starter in December.
Dalton Still Looking for a Job
While Gilbert knows his immediate future lies with the Raiders, Dalton remains without a team. The “Red Rifle” joined the Chicago Bears after parting ways with Dallas after the 2020 season, but shared the starting role with rookie Justin Fields.
Dalton didn’t impress. The 34-year-old started six games, completing 63.1% of his passes for 1515 yards, eight touchdowns and nine interceptions. He went 3-3 as a starter for the Bears.
There’s been no verified reports of NFL teams expressing interest in the former TCU standout, but it’s hard to think he still won’t end up on an NFL roster as someone who was still considered starter material coming into the 2021 season.