The Dallas Cowboys will decide on whether to go with either Garrett Gilbert or Cooper Rush as the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers matchup on Sunday.
Last week in the 23-9 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cowboys had started rookie quarterback Ben DiNucci which did not pan out well for the team. DiNucci finished the game going 21 of 40 passes for only 180 yards while losing two fumbles. It was an understandable performance given that it was DiNucci’s first career start. Although he did not perform well, he did get experience from playing.
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is looking for options. He said, “I just felt with the opponent that we’re playing, we need some more experience at that position.” McCarthy will now decide which of his two other quarterback options to start. Both Gilbert and Rush have not started a single game, and both have a combined nine passes in their careers. However, despite that, they still have experience which is what McCarthy is looking for.
That is something that the Cowboys will need when they face the undefeated Steelers. They will be a tough opponent that will require an experienced veteran quarterback to lead the offense. Both Gilbert and Rush have played with the Cowboys in the preseason and are familiar with the playstyle and system.
For the Cowboys, it is an eventful season as they are currently second to last in the NFC East with two wins and six losses. They lost their starting quarterback in Dak Prescott, who suffered a season-ending right ankle injury on October 11. Their second quarterback option Andy Dalton was placed on the COVID-19/Reserve list because of a concussion. This will be the Cowboy’s fourth quarterback that will start since their 2015 season.
Luckily for Cowboy fans, Coach McCarthy is experienced with starting four different quarterbacks due to his time with the San Francisco 49ers as an offensive coach during 2005. In the 2005 season, there were four different quarterbacks starting. When he was with the Green Bay Packers in 2013, Aaron Rodgers suffered an injury – that year the team also had four different starting quarterbacks.
