Getty Jerry, Stephen Jones
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Ben DiNucci picked up where he left off last season — that is, performing at a replacement level.
As recounted by beat reporter Michael Gehlken, the second-year signal-caller was nearly picked-sixed by a more athletic and agile Richard Sherman rookie cornerback Nahshon Wright during 11-on-11 drills on Tuesday, the second day of Organized Team Activities (OTAs).
“CB Nahshon Wright jumped an 11-on-11 route against QB Ben DiNucci in right flat, all but positioning himself for a pick-six. Just dropped it. Good anticipation, though. Cowboys liked his ball skills coming out of Oregon State,” Gehlken tweeted.
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A ‘Big Step’ Forward?
You may recall DiNucci’s name from last season; try not to shudder. The 2020 seventh-round draft selection made one start for the injury-ravaged Cowboys, and played so poorly — just ask Jerry Jones — the club benched him in favor of former AAF star Garrett Gilbert.
“I think that it was a lot for him. I think we certainly, as a team, paid the price to have him come in and under those circumstances. And that’s almost trite. It was frankly more than he could handle,” Jones said of DiNucci’s Nov. 1 performance against the Philadelphia Eagles, who limited the James Madison product to 180 scoreless yards and a minuscule 19.5 QBR in a noncompetitive 23-9 loss.
Nevertheless, the Cowboys opted to retain DiNucci as part of an ongoing competition to become Dak Prescott’s full-time backup. He’s battling Gilbert and ex-practice-squadder Cooper Rush for the QB2 job — and apparently looks better than advertised.
“[Cowboys head coach] Mike McCarthy said backup QB Ben DiNucci has taken ‘a big step’ in his development and Garrett Gilbert has also improved. McCarthy said he talked with Will McClay today about the QB position,” Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News tweeted.
The Cowboys have yet to replace DiNucci, declining to sign any of the four QBs (Jeff Driskel, J.T. Barrett, Brady Davis, Brett Hundley) they’ve hosted on free-agent workouts over the past month.
“Yet” being the keyword.
One thing of note, Cowboys need a backup QB.
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Dak Throws INT
In fairness to DiNucci, he wasn’t the only Cowboys passer to experience a rough go on Tuesday. Prescott, the franchise’s $160 million cornerstone, tossed an interception during seven-on-seven drills in his second practice since compound-fracturing and dislocating his right ankle last October.
“Deante Burton also had a really nice pick on Dak in 7v7. don’t even think it was a bad throw. Dak broke the pocket and ran right, looking for CeeDee. Burton jumped in front of it at the last minute,” David Helman of the team’s official website tweeted.
Overall, though, it was an encouraging session for Prescott, who did not participate in team drills out of an abundance of caution, now more than seven months removed from the devastating injuries.
“I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily limited,” he told reporters after practice, per Pro Football Talk. “I think it’s just being cautious and being smart in the fact that I’m not doing things when there’s a pass rush or guys potentially falling at the legs or something of that nature. As far as saying I can’t do drills or I can’t do something, I’m pretty much full go.”
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL