The Dallas Cowboys, including star quarterback Dak Prescott, looked horrible in their season-opener against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night. The defense did enough to contain them to 19 points, but Dallas could only muster three.
It didn't help that Prescott ended up getting injured, and now he is projected to be out for the next six-to-eight weeks. After winning the NFC East division last year, Dallas already looks like they can miss the playoffs.
Should the team consider immediate replacements right away to help in place of Prescott? Or would their current backups such as Cooper Rush be enough to sustain them until Dak returns?
We pondered this interesting question after the injury went down. Cam Newton, a former MVP, is a free agent. He's been linked to Dallas for a while.
Should the Cowboys sign Cam Newton? pic.twitter.com/yaqa7TohZ0
— FootBasket™.com (@Foot_Basket) September 12, 2022
The tweet above, of course, went viral and garnered a lot of attention from Cowboys fans. Some really like it and think "Why not?" Others think signing him would improve their draft position more than if they had started Rush instead.
While Newton did not have the best stints recently with the New England Patriots and a return to the Carolina Panthers, he still should be enough to be a serviceable QB. There is no way there are 64 QBs better than him.
Former Cowboys legend Drew Pearson agrees and thinks Dallas should go after "everybody" who is available. He even threw in a popular name we've been hearing for years—Colin Kaepernick—but there is a higher chance of Newton winning MVP this year than that occurring.
So who are the other eight QBs? NFL.com had a great list, and mention QBs already on the Cowboys such as Rush. They also mentioned backup Will Grier and former backup Ben DiNucci. But that really isn't moving the needle.
Names outside include retired QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, as well as Denver Broncos backup Josh Johnson. Two intriguing ones are Philadelphia Eagles backup Gardner Minshew, who had a great stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars and was solid for Philly in his playing time.
The most popular pick? Most definitely San Francisco 49ers former starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo. However, I find it unlikely for Jimmy G or Minshew to happen. Minshew is from a division rival, so there will be a higher asking price.
The same can be said for the 49ers, who have been playoff rivals of Dallas. Regardless, they have had a high asking price for Jimmy G this whole offseason—so much so that they just decided to keep him instead.
What makes you think they are going to deal him to Dallas without asking for a lot in return? They probably would ask for Jerry Jones to throw in Ezekiel Elliott or Tony Pollard into that deal, since San Francisco has had injuries at the running back position.
Their best bet would be to stick it out with their own backups or through free agency, which is why I believe Newton could be their best bet. He could offer much-needed versatility that Rush can't bring with his running ability, which could help Zeke or Pollard.
Sure, it could backfire, but I think it is a better alternative than Rush or the other Cowboys backup QBs. What do you think Dallas should do?
Here's what some FootBasket commenters thought on Twitter with our Cam tweet:
