ARLINGTON, Texas – The Cowboys hope this problem never becomes a problem. History, especially recent history, suggests it will be.
So as much as you'd like to put all of the focus on one Dak Prescott, we all know the backup quarterback usually comes into play. And if that's the case, the Cowboys still have a huge question to answer.
Because after two games, there's no way they can be completely confident in Joe Milton as the backup behind Dak.
Yes, that was the plan all along, and I'm not sure the Cowboys are deviating from that right now. But there can't be a ton of confidence from what we've seen in Milton so far. And it's not just the two preseason games, but the combination of Oxnard practices, plus the games, that have yet to see enough consistency from him to make you feel good about this.
And before you blurt out the obvious line of, "If the Cowboys lose Dak, it doesn't really matter who comes in," let's just remember Dallas is 9-6 in its 15 games without Dak since the 2021 season.
That's quite the sample size in the last four years – and good enough results to know the Cowboys have at least figured out how to survive and win some games.
Ironically enough, one of the reasons the Cowboys have been above water at backup quarterback was actually on the other side of the field for this game. In fact, Cooper Rush was one of the captains for the Ravens as he seems to be the solid No. 2 quarterback behind Lamar Jackson.
Either the Cowboys didn't want to pay Rush anywhere close to the two-year, $6.25 million deal he signed with the Ravens, or he didn't want to come back after the way last year ended with Trey Lance starting the final game. If you remember, Rush missed out on the chance to earn $250,000 if he had met incentives by playing in the season finale. And speaking of Lance, he's leading the way in earning the backup quarterback job behind Justin Herbert with the Chargers. Lance signed a one-year, $2.05 million contract with LA.
So it wasn't overly expensive to keep Rush and/or Lance, but the Cowboys wanted to trade for Milton and give him every chance to win the backup job. Despite the size, the arm talent and the mobility to run out of the pocket, his accuracy, touch and decision-making have been questionable at best.
Will Grier, the veteran backup who has been around for a while, has flashed a few moments in limited time, but even at the end of this game Saturday night, he wasn't much better. Then again, he doesn't get near the practice reps of Milton, who has been given the chance to win this job.
So here we are – one preseason game to play, and we're 19 days from the season opener. The Cowboys can't confidently say they've got the backup quarterback spot locked up.
Sure, they will talk about the "vanilla" play-calling and the lack of scheming, but it's more than that. The simple reads have been an issue – such as the early sack he took for a safety when he could've seen the max blitz by the Ravens and known he needed to get rid of the ball to one of three open receivers, even though it was short of the line to gain. But that's better than taking a safety, especially in the end zone.
Or it's the open receivers down the field where he just misses the throw high or low or behind the receiver. It's almost like he's been told not to take off and run like he did in practice so many times. Yes, you want him to stand in there and make the throws, but he needs to play the position, first and foremost. And for him, playing the position is using his legs and mobility to make plays.
The question the Cowboys have to ask themselves, and just like every team must do as well, is can they win games without Dak at this position?
Right now, it's hard to answer that as a positive "yes" just because Milton is still so inexperienced. He played in one game last year and just two preseason games so far.
He needs to play football to get better at playing football. Yes, I get that's a simple concept. But at the same time, can the Cowboys really afford to put the ball in his hands if they need to?
Of course, the Cowboys know the guys out on the street right now and probably have a good idea who might be there at some point. But are those players good enough to make a change? Will they give you an upgrade at the position?
As you can see, lots of questions to answer. And less than three weeks to do it.
Again, you hope it's never a problem. But like anything in the NFL, and in life sometimes too, things are only a problem when they become a problem.
The Cowboys need a "backup" plan and right now. It's hard to see if they've got the right one in place.
