Cowboys Backup QB Battle Coming Down To Wire

Dak Prescott is the million dollar man in Dallas, but who is going to back him up is anyone’s guess.

Ben DiNucci likely had the inside track to earn the QB2 moniker, but he hasn’t performed well at all this preseason. He threw three interceptions against the Texans last Saturday, basically ending his chances at stabilizing the depth chart.

Now, Cooper Rush and Garrett Gilbert are expected to battle it out this Sunday against Jacksonville for the opportunity to carry the sleekest clipboard. Other than their own families, not many fans are likely familiar with either option. Rush was signed by Dallas as an undrafted free agent in 2017 out of powerhouse Central Michigan. Gilbert hails from two Texas schools, UT and SMU, and was a sixth-round pick by the Rams in 2014. He had a nice showing in the HOF game earlier in the preseason, but Rush appears to have supplanted the wily veteran with some superb mop-up time of his own.

Head coach Mike McCarthy, best known for treading water for 13 years in Green Bay despite having an outboard motor in Aaron Rodgers, offered this nugget of wisdom about his team as they head into final cuts.

"I've always said this, especially at this time: It's up to the players to decide who is on the 53," said McCarthy after Saturday's loss. “Three quarterbacks, 10 linemen, 10 D-linemen, 11 -- that's why you go about it."

It's leadership like McCarthy's that makes the NFC East the most dangerous division in all of football. So there you have it: Gilbert and Rush will go head-to-head in a winner-take-second fight to the death this weekend. It’s the stuff drinking games and summer sports media reports are made of, so go grab some beers and have some fun watching preseason football.