Getty Nick Foles could fill the backup quarterback role for the Cowboys.
The Dallas Cowboys are still in the market for a backup quarterback as insurance behind Dak Prescott. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell’s latest mock draft suggests the Cowboys trade down with the Bears with veteran quarterback Nick Foles as part of the deal. The trade proposal has the Cowboys trading the No. 10 pick and a 2022 fifth-rounder in exchange for the No. 20 selection, Foles and the Bears’ 2022 first-rounder.
“The Cowboys would move down 10 spots and reap a tantalizing draft pick in Chicago’s 2022 first-rounder; if the Bears collapse with Andy Dalton under center, that pick could fall somewhere in the top 10,” Barnwell explained. “They’ll also get a relatively cheap backup in Foles, who is owed $4 million in 2021 and has only $1 million of his $8 million in 2022 guaranteed. Foles would only be in the lineup if Dak Prescott got injured, but imagine the universe in which the former Super Bowl MVP starts against the Eagles in a division-deciding game in Week 18.”
While Foles has been inconsistent with his stints as a full-time starter, he is the perfect candidate to be a backup quarterback. Foles proved with the Eagles that he can be trusted to fill in at quarterback helping the Cowboys’ rival win a Super Bowl after Carson Wentz went down in 2017. The Bears quarterback threw for 1,852 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 64.7% of his passes in nine appearances last season.
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McCarthy on Backup QB: ‘Thats a Position We’ll Continue to Look At’
The Cowboys have Cooper Rush, Garrett Gilbert and Ben DiNucci on the team’s roster behind Prescott, but it would be a surprise if there is not another addition before training camp. During a March press conference, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy did not sound like someone pleased with the current depth behind Prescott.
“That’s a position we’ll continue to look at,” McCarthy noted, per USA Today. “You want as much competition, talent, young, veteran. We’ll just continue to watch that.”
Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley Is a Name to Watch If the Cowboys Trade Down
Dallas has been widely projected to take a cornerback at No. 10 with Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II and South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn popular predictions for the Cowboys. In the above trade, both corners are likely going to be long gone by the time the Cowboys select at No. 20. One name to watch if the Cowboys trade down is Virginia Tech corner Caleb Farley.
The former Hokie was once mentioned in the same group as Horn and Surtain, but a recent back surgery has the corner falling in most mock drafts. The Cowboys have shown a willingness to select players with challenging medical histories in the past if the value is there, and Farley could be no different given the Cowboys’ need at cornerback.
Farley is expected to make a full recovery from the surgery, but his draft stock is likely to take a hit when compared to cleaner prospects. NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks describes Farley as having “All-Pro” potential.
“Caleb Farley is a big, athletic cover corner with outstanding instincts, awareness and ball skills,” Brooks detailed on DallasCowboys.com. “He is a rare find as a natural zone corner with bump-and-run skills. Farley is an ideal fit as a corner in the Seahawks’ Cover 3 system but he’s also scheme-friendly prospect with the capacity to play as a “Cloud” corner in a Tampa-2 system or on the island in a man-heavy scheme. If he is able to move past his injury issue, Farley could be a perennial All-Pro with a game that shines at the next level.”