The Dallas Cowboys are entering the second week of the season with a quarterback conundrum after losing Dak Prescott for more than a month due to a fracture right thumb.
The Cowboys are likely to start Cooper Rush against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 with Will Grier as the backup. While that might be the immediate option, Cowboys legend Drew Pearson said Monday the team should take a look at capable veteran starters like Cam Newton or Colin Kaepernick.
“It’s crazy. What they gotta do is pull out all stops. Call Cam, call Kaepernick, call anybody out there. I used to be a quarterback,” Pearson told TMZ Sports. “I threw three touchdowns in the NFL – call me. But we got to have somebody there with experience, some game experience. I’m not talking about coming in and mopping up for somebody after the game is already won or already lost. I’m talking about somebody that’s been there. Been in the big time, knows how to be a starting quarterback in the National Football League.”
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Kaepernick has not played sine 2016. Newton looked like a shell of his former self.
Pearson wondered whether was even anyone available on the free-agent market healthy and in-shape enough to take the reins for the time being.
“Now, the question is, is there anybody out there in shape and capable enough to step in because that’s what we need. Cooper Rush, a nice backup. The other guy is a nice backup. But we need some solid bodies there as far as the quarterback position. Somebody to lead up. That’s what Dak brought to the table,” he added.
Rush has one start under his belt. It came last season against the Minnesota Vikings. He was 24-for-40 with 325 passing yards, two touchdown passes and an interception. Dallas won 24-40.
Pearson urged the Cowboys to rally around Rush, but also said the pieces around the quarterback need to step up.
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“What they gotta do is rally around Cooper Rush. All you did was take Dak out of the offense and put Cooper Rush in there. All the other pieces are set, they’re there. They’re not the best pieces. I’m disappointed in the receivers. I’m disappointed in ‘double 8s,’ Ceedee, the way he played. But this is what’s left with the moves the Cowboys made and didn’t make,” he told TMZ Sports.
“Losing (Amari) Cooper and losing (Cedrick) Wilson. You couldn’t lose both of those guys. You had to keep one or the other. You lose La’el Collins. You pay Dak Prescott all this money to be your starting quarterback now and into the future but what you gotta do is surround him with some people so you can take advantage of his abilities and what he brings to the table. And that’s what I’m disappointed in – that the offseason didn’t produce what we needed to produce to surround Dak with the protection and the receivers he needed. Then, the running game would open up if that line was healthy and that’s what we gotta rely on right now. Put all our efforts behind Cooper Rush and then get the running game going and hopefully that will help us as we get ready for Cincinnati.”
Dallas and Cincinnati will be looking for their first wins of the season.
