Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports Here is the order in which the Cowboys should take care of their would-be extensions (if they do them) this offseason. The Dallas Cowboys would be wise to take care of extensions sooner rather than later. You know this. We have discussed it many times. It does not need to be re-litigated at this point. This is a principle that the front office has not necessarily agreed with (something else you know) in recent history as it took until the eleventh hour for deals to get done with the likes of CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott (multiple times) and DeMarcus Lawrence. For context’s sake we should note that Dallas was early on players like Jaylon Smith, La’el Collins, Trevon Diggs and Terence Steele (Ezekiel Elliott too sort of, although Zeke forced that issue by holding out). Obviously this is a topic of conversation right now what with Micah Parsons being eligible for an extension for the second offseason in a row. By not taking care of it last year the Cowboys allowed the situation to turn into more of one which is why we are all screaming at them to get it done. Parsons may be the best player on the Cowboys, but he is not the only one who it would be wise for the team to take care of relative to extensions this offseason. Counting Parsons there are four players who the team would be wise to lock up for the long-term. Here is our ranking of how the team should view the levels of importance. First and foremost… Micah Parsons Micah Parsons is the best player on the Dallas Cowboys. He is on track to have a Pro Football Hall of Fame-level career. On the heels of a rough season with longtime veterans departing, he appears ready and willing to take the mantle of leadership. These are all incredible qualities and ones that you dream about the player you give a massive extension to having in their repertoire. We promised that we wouldn’t waste time, but this should have been taken care of last year. With that being the case that means that this is and has been priority number one for a long time now. If this ripples into training camp it will only hurt the overall goal. Second in action… DaRon Bland Last week saw the cornerback market rise for the second time this offseason when the Houston Texans paid Derek Stingley Jr.. This is the way that the game goes. Paying DaRon Bland is about more than just playing some game, though. He may be coming off of a tough season for the standards that he set in 2023, but he is arguably a huge part of the defense and secondary moving forward. Given the uncertainty surrounding Trevon Diggs, you can argue that he is an essential part of it moving forward. You know what else, though? Not to be cold or calloused, but Bland is coming off of a down season as mentioned. If the Cowboys were to be proactive and approach him in his first offseason of eligibility – while not coming off of a performance that he knows he is capable of – does it not stand to reason that the price will be lower than it could be? This is the dangerous game that the Cowboys have lost in the past. To use one example, the Cowboys could have extended CeeDee Lamb and/or Dak Prescott after the 2022 season. Consider that the latter was coming off of a season filled with interceptions. Getting to one or both of them at that point could have led to a slightly friendlier deal, at the very least it would have led to a friendlier market rate. But as we all know, the Cowboys decided to wait and both Lamb and Prescott turned in stellar 2023 seasons which gave them all the more leverage. This is an opportunity to not make that same mistake again. Third and vital… Tyler Smith The prioritization here is not about ranking the importance that the players hold relative to the team. If this were the case then it would feel awkward having Tyler Smith be down at three. Smith has had an interesting career with the Cowboys in that he was a decision that the front office stood against the world on and was proven right about. There were very few who agreed with them selecting him in the first round back in 2022. To his credit, Smith has turned into the star that Dallas foresaw in that first round. Beyond being an amazing player, he is now positioned to be the leader of the offensive line for the future with Zack Martin having retired. He has an apprentice under his wing in fellow first-rounder Tyler Guyton. He is the perfect candidate to pay and take care of. The Cowboys must decide if they want to pick up Smith’s fifth-year option this offseason (Kaiir Elam too now) and obviously will, but that does not mean that they can’t or won’t get an extension done. We know that he is a part of the long-term future of this team. Getting a deal done makes perfect sense. Fourth but not forgotten… Jake Ferguson You can make the argument in a number of directions here and the fact that the team spent a second-round pick on Luke Schoonmaker last year is part of the calculus. But if we are making a list of extension candidates, then there is no question that Jake Ferguson is a part of it, just a little lower down the priority list than others. This isn’t a knock on Ferguson in any way and is more representative of the markets of all positions involved. We have seen the offense really thrive with Ferguson as a part of it over his career to date. Last year was tough for the team and for him individually, but like with Bland, that represents a time to

Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images It is so silly when other fanbases try to claim the America’s Team nickname. There are very few things that annoy me as far as other NFL fanbases anymore. Once upon a time certain things got my attention or riled me up. Maybe it is the passage of time or something along those lines, but we live in a world where the Philadelphia Eagles just won their second Super Bowl and it feels pretty “eh” in my opinion. Something that used to really get me going was when other teams would claim that they were the new America’s Team. To be clear this still happens pretty often when a newcomer tastes success for either the first time or first time in a long time (shout out to the Detroit Lions) and people run with it. My stance has always been that nicknames belong to who they first belonged to no matter what. There is only one Steel Curtain. There is only one New York Sack Exchange. You can’t just try to use something old because you like it and want it in the here and now. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe other teams taking it still upsets you. For our Tuesday Takes here at BTB, how do you feel about other teams claiming to be America’s Team? Upset? Indifferent? Let us know in the comments below.

Think you can figure out which Cowboys player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game! Hey Cowboys fans! We’ve got a new treat for everybody. Some of you have likely seen the daily trivia game that lives in the top right corner above the fold of the site. To date, that game has been the SB Nation in-5 trivia game. Today, that changes here. We’ve now got a Dallas Cowboys version of the game. The SB Nation version has been a general NFL game with active and retired players from all 32 teams featured. Moving forward, at Blogging The Boys you’ll get a daily Cowboys version of this game. We’ll be rotating between current Cowboys and some of our old favorites and not so well-known options. You can still play the SB Nation version. You just need to go to sbnation.com, where it lives on the front page every day. You can play the game below and share your results in the comments or on social media. Please share any and all feedback about the game, both good and bad. You can post feedback in the comments, but we also have a Google Form. We’re past the beta stage of the game, but it’s still a work in progress. See Blogging The Boys in-5 game instructions below the game. If you can’t see the game due to Apple News or another service, click this game article. Play more SB Nation in-5 trivia games NFL in-5MLB in-5MMA in-5 Blogging The Boys in-5 instructions The goal of the game is to guess the correct Cowboys player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form. Enjoy!

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images It’s been a busy couple of weeks for the Cowboys, but how much have they improved the team in your opinion? Believe it or not, the Dallas Cowboys have done some stuff. It’s different from past offseasons where they patiently wait for better deals. This year, they have been active early and addressing several areas of their roster. How are things looking after these recent moves? Today, we’ll run through each position group and examine how this Cowboys team looks after the first two weeks of free agency. QUARTERBACK Need: A backup QB Initial prediction: Re-sign Cooper Rush and draft a late-round rookie They say you don’t appreciate someone until they’re gone and that could ring true for Cooper Rush as he signed with Baltimore, leaving a huge hole at the backup QB position. With no remaining desirable free agent, this puts a lot of pressure on finding a quarterback late in the draft or else they’ll be putting all their faith into Will Grier. RUNNING BACK Need: A starter and backup RB Initial prediction: Re-sign Rico Dowdle and select a RB within the first two days of the draft Rico Dowdle turned out to be too expensive for the Cowboys so they instead went with a couple of low-cost former second-round picks in Javonte Wiliams and Miles Sanders. Both players are coming off underwhelming seasons where they averaged just 3.7 yards per carry, but they are fine choices with the caveat that the Cowboys will select a RB within the first three rounds of the draft, which feels like a foregone conclusion. WIDE RECEIVER Need: Find a WR2 to complement CeeDee Lamb Initial prediction: Select a wide receiver within the first two days of the draft Like the running back position, this will be judged based on what the team does in next month’s draft. Some big-name free agents were floating around, but the team instead chose to re-sign KaVonta Turpin and then sign Parris Campbell. Nothing the team has done at wide receiver makes us feel any better. If they draft a receiver early, they’ll earn a strong grade, but it also has a chance to blow up in their face if they disappoint us next month. TIGHT END Need: A blocking TE to join Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker Initial prediction: Late-round draft pick or priority free agent The Cowboys haven’t done anything at the tight end position and that’s fine. There won’t be anything splashy happening at any point. Ferguson is in the last year of his rookie deal so the team could surprise us and unexpectedly draft a tight end if they’re looking ahead. A more likely outcome is finding a new, young in-line blocker that meets the standards of new offensive coordinator Klayton Adams. OFFENSIVE LINE Need: Add offensive line depth Initial prediction: Sign a low-cost lineman who has position flexibility There wasn’t a lot expected here. Terence Steele’s name was brought up a lot as an “all but certain” cap casualty but his 2025 salary became fully guaranteed last Sunday, we can finally put that to rest. The Cowboys retained Brock Hoffman who was an exclusive rights free agent. They also went out and signed free agent Robert Jones who is 26 years old and has 30 NFL starts under his belt. His cost is low and he can play either guard position, so this signing is right on brand for them. DEFENSIVE END Need: Add edge-rushing depth Initial prediction: Re-sign Carl Lawson Maybe it was a pipe dream to think DeMarcus Lawrence would return on a team-friendly deal. With Tank leaving for more money, the Cowboys pivoted and brought Dante Fowler back on a one-year incentive-based deal. Fowler had 10.5 sacks last year and adds reinforcements to the edge group. The team also added former first-round pick Payton Turner. With Sam Williams returning and joining forces with Micah Parsons and Marshawn Kneeland, the Cowboys are in good shape for the upcoming season. DEFENSIVE TACKLE Need: Add more resources at both 3-tech & 1-tech spots Initial prediction: Sign a low-cost veteran for depth They started great by re-signing Osa Odighizuwa which we predicted they would do a year ago. Better late than never. They followed that by signing former third overall pick Solomon Thomas to a two-year, $6 million deal. As far as 3-tech defensive tackles go, the Cowboys are in good shape. They still lack depth at nose tackle as it’s just Mazi Smith and not much else. They aren’t likely done here as we could see them look to the draft or another one of their late-summer veteran adds they have grown accustomed to doing. LINEBACKER Need: Any and all linebacker depth they can get Initial prediction: Mid-level free agent signing and draft a linebacker on Day 3 With Marist Liufau and Damone Clark being the only linebackers on the roster, this area needed lots of attention. Fortunately, the Cowboys have been active and made a concerted effort to get better. First, they signed former Bears linebacker Jack Sanborn to a low-cost deal. The 24-year-old has made 19 starts over his three seasons in the league. Then, they swapped late-round draft picks to pick up the last year of Kenneth Murray’s two-year deal with the Titans. It’s not a stout group by any means, and they certainly will miss DeMarvion Overshown while he’s recovering from his injury, but at least they now have a fighting chance in the middle of the defense. CORNERBACK Need: Get help now, get help later Initial prediction: Re-sign Jourdan Lewis and draft a top collegiate corner by round two The Cowboys cornerback room is a big enigma that got more puzzling after Lewis left in free agency. Lewis’ price tag was a bit steep, so the front office was smart to let him walk, but it still left them with questions. The team acquired former first-round pick Kaiir Elam from Buffalo, but we’ve seen them trade for underachieving corners before

Bob Donnan-Imagn Images The Dallas Cowboys have cost themselves at least $20 million by waiting to extend Micah Parsons. It’s no secret that the Dallas Cowboys dragged their feet on extending their star players over the past few seasons. What should’ve been relatively straightforward extensions for quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb turned into protracted negotiations that resulted in no reward whatsoever for the team. Those two deals, in particular, are case and point for why teams should be proactive in signing their cornerstone pieces as soon as they’re able: the market rate at every position is increasing rapidly alongside the NFL salary cap. Instead of learning from this mistake, the Cowboys appear ready to make it again with another star: Micah Parsons, who is among the NFL’s best pass rushers and also provides unique linebacker versatility when needed. Parsons should be one of those “slam dunk” extensions: a no-brainer star player, entering his prime, and coming off multiple years of elite production. Parsons is about as reliable as they come and would instantly become the most coveted pass rusher available if he were to hit the open market. Parsons was eligible for an extension in 2024, but in the midst of protracted negotiations for Prescott and Lamb, he simply wasn’t in the Cowboys’ plans at the time. Dallas instead picked up Parsons’ fifth-year option – which itself is a pretty big payday at $24 million – and no movement was made on an extension throughout the season. The Cowboys had another opportunity to extend Parsons over the past two months, another chance to get out ahead of the massive record-setting deals that were coming for Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby. The Cowboys didn’t seize that opportunity, and it’s likely to cost them significantly in the long run. The previous record-holder among pass rushers was the 49ers’ Nick Bosa, whose deal came in at a hefty $34 million per year back in September of 2023. If the Cowboys had been proactive with Parsons’ deal and signed him to an extension back in 2024, it’s possible Parsons could’ve been signed for a slight increase to that number. Something like $35 million would’ve been a reasonable raise given the cap increase. Even getting the Parsons deal done during the 2024 season or prior to the start of 2025 free agency would’ve helped keep the number in that range. Instead, the top of the market was completely reset with the Cleveland Browns finally reaching an agreement on a long-term extension with Myles Garrett. Garrett’s trade demands made national news earlier in the offseason, but the Browns solved that issue by giving him a four-year extension at an incredible $40 million per year. We also saw massive deals go out for two other top pass rushers. The Raiders extended Maxx Crosby at $35.5 million per season, and the Texans added another year onto Danielle Hunter’s contract to bring his yearly rate to just top Crosby’s at $35.6 million per year. The Crosby deal is a great example of what the Cowboys probably could’ve extended Micah Parsons at prior to 2025 free agency. Now? $35.5 million probably isn’t even the starting point of negotiations. That start point is much likelier to be Garrett’s $40 million number. And why shouldn’t it be? A clear case can be made for Parsons to demand more than Garrett. Parsons is four years younger and offers versatility that Garrett just doesn’t have. Sure, Garrett has the longer track record of success, but how much does that really matter in this context? Not enough to convince Parsons to take a discount. The expectation is that the Cowboys will work out a deal for Micah Parsons before the start of the 2025 season. As much as other teams would love for him to be available via trade, we all know that’s a fantasy. Dallas would be foolish to let Parsons out of the building. But the team’s failure to proactively address Parsons’ future is now going to cost them, to the tune of at least $5 million per year over the length of his deal. Assuming a four-year extension, that’s $20M of salary cap and cash flushed down the drain. And for what? There’s no argument to be made here, like the one that was made for Dak Prescott, that you still want to “wait and see” if he’s worth the cost. Parsons clearly is worth it. It’s certainly not a lack of cap flexibility, since Parsons already has a very high cap hit in 2025 thanks to the fifth-year option. If anything, the extension would lower Parsons’ cap hit this season and give the team increased flexibility for other moves. Instead, fans are left wondering what exactly the front office in Dallas is doing… again. There is no real logic in delaying an extension for Parsons in 2024, and and the same goes for not extending him prior to 2025 free agency. If there’s one thing that’s become abundantly clear over the years since the COVID crisis created a temporary cap squeeze, it’s that the salary cap, and likewise player contracts, are starting to skyrocket every single year. The best teams have learned this, and have started to get out ahead of their biggest deals well before they are forced to act. Extending a player with two years left on their current contract used to be a rarity. That’s no longer the case, because there’s value in locking down your stars as early as possible. The players like the added security and guarantees, and it helps the team with future planning and cap flexibility. So why aren’t the Cowboys adapting along with the rest of the NFL? Why are we now looking at two straight offseasons of Dallas sitting on their hands and letting the rest of the league dictate their contract terms, instead of setting the market for themselves? Cowboys fans have their own ideas on that answer, so let’s hear your answer in the comments, but

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The Cowboys really need to add a one-technique. The Dallas Cowboys have talked a lot about being tougher, more disciplined, and stronger in the trenches this offseason. Their actions in free agency only somewhat matched the talk we heard earlier in the offseason. After adding Dante Fowler, Solomon Thomas, and Payton Turner in free agency to the defensive line, the Cowboys looked to boost their pass rush, but they did not have many additions to boost their ability to stop the run. With Mazi Smith being the only 1-technique on the roster with NFL time under his belt, the Cowboys will need to add someone in the 2025 NFL draft that can compete with Smith for starting reps and provide quality depth. Today we will look at four names that should be available on day two that can be upgrades for the Cowboys struggling run defense. Tyleik Williams, DL, Ohio State Outside of drafting Mazi Smith in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft, the Cowboys have made very little investment in the 1-tech position over the last decade. It has been a slow development for Smith so far heading into year three and the Cowboys could look to add competition early in this draft. Ohio State’s Tyleik Williams is projected to go early in round two and would be excellent value if available at 44. Williams has the size (6-foot-3, 334-pounds), power, and anchor to be an immediate upgrade on the Cowboys defensive front. Despite his lack of length, Williams plays with consistent pad-level to hold his ground in the run game, while showcasing an explosive first step to win as a rusher. Williams will not be drafted inside the top 50 for what he will bring as a pass rusher, but his power and athleticism allows him to shine in that area on occasion. Ohio State iDL Tyleik Williams run defense (and one PA pass) highlights v Iowa pic.twitter.com/9wz65BOG4T — Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) March 17, 2025 Alfred Collins, DL, Texas One of the better run defenders in the draft is Texas’ Alfred Collins. Listed at 6-foot-6, 332-pounds, Collins is an absolute giant on the defensive line with a lot of power at the point of attack. To match his impressive frame, Collins has extremely long arms that allows him to keep his chest free of blocks to hold his ground against the run. Collins brings very little to the table as a pass rusher, but he gives defensive coaches something to dream on with his frame and natural power package. Given his physical traits, Collins is another candidate that would be considered with the 44th overall pick. One of the best ways to boost your run defense this offseason? Draft Texas’ 6’6, 330lb Alfred Collins (35” arms) on Day 2. But with a 14th percentile vert and 6th percentile broad, does he meet the Bills’ explosiveness thresholds?pic.twitter.com/DCCDgbTq8U — Air Raid | Buffalo (@TheBillsGuys) March 18, 2025 Jamaree Caldwell, DL, Oregon One of my favorite players in the 2025 NFL draft is Oregon’s Jamaree Caldwell. Despite his lack of sack production in his college career, Caldwell is the total package that can develop into a quality three-down player in the NFL. Caldwell’s lack of length will likely hurt his draft stock, but he uses his shorter, stout frame to his advantage to win with leverage along the interior. While Caldwell will be an immediate upgrade to the Cowboys run defense, there is more in the tank as a pass rusher. Caldwell has some of the more impressive tape in this class and he would be an excellent option if the Cowboys address other positions with their first and second-round picks in April. Jamaree Caldwell is a 340-lb nose tackle who can:– hold the point in the A-gap– split double teams– win with power– win with speed– chase screens/stretch runs to the sideline Surprised he doesn’t have more hype pic.twitter.com/htXTbGKZUp — James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) February 9, 2025 CJ West, DL, Indiana C.J. West is an option that should be being talked about in the third round to address the Cowboys run defense concerns. Despite size concerns for West, his quickness, explosiveness, and technique allow him to play much bigger than his 6-foot-1, 316-pound size would suggest. West split time playing the 1- and 3-technique in his one year at Indiana and that versatility translates well to his role in the NFL. West may not be as hot a name as some of the other guys in this class, but his tape shows a player that will have no problem carving out a valuable role in the NFL. CJ West is an awesome run defender. Can beat you with strength or shoot a gap with his quickness to get into the backfield pic.twitter.com/6amyQdXrem — Billy M (@BillyM_91) March 11, 2025

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images Do you feel like this offseason is different relative to last? It feels very fair to say that 2024 was a poor year for the Dallas Cowboys. To be clear we are talking about the year at large, not just the football season. Negative headlines dominated every move they made and as if matters weren’t bad enough, the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl shortly after the calendar officially turned. We all know better than to line up for the field goal attempt that Lucy is holding right in front of us, but to be straight up about things the fact that she is even holding the ball up is progress for the Cowboys these days. It was flattened on the ground at this time last year. Starting today we will have discussion templates every weekday here on the blog and today we want to know: Does this offseason feel different? Even just a little bit? To be clear you can think that it feels different while simultaneously believing that it is still not enough or not close to enough. “Different” doesn’t mean that everything is perfect all of a sudden. Let us know in the comments below!

Think you can figure out which Cowboys player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game! Hey Cowboys fans! We’ve got a new treat for everybody. Some of you have likely seen the daily trivia game that lives in the top right corner above the fold of the site. To date, that game has been the SB Nation in-5 trivia game. Today, that changes here. We’ve now got a Dallas Cowboys version of the game. The SB Nation version has been a general NFL game with active and retired players from all 32 teams featured. Moving forward, at Blogging The Boys you’ll get a daily Cowboys version of this game. We’ll be rotating between current Cowboys and some of our old favorites and not so well-known options. You can still play the SB Nation version. You just need to go to sbnation.com, where it lives on the front page every day. You can play the game below and share your results in the comments or on social media. Please share any and all feedback about the game, both good and bad. You can post feedback in the comments, but we also have a Google Form. We’re past the beta stage of the game, but it’s still a work in progress. See Blogging The Boys in-5 game instructions below the game. If you can’t see the game due to Apple News or another service, click this game article. Play more SB Nation in-5 trivia games NFL in-5MLB in-5MMA in-5 Blogging The Boys in-5 instructions The goal of the game is to guess the correct Cowboys player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form. Enjoy!

Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images This would be an instant upgrade to the Cowboys’ defensive front. Coming into the offseason, the Dallas Cowboys knew they had work to do to fill some holes before the NFL draft, and the defensive line was one of the key areas. They’ve made several moves in regard to the unit, with bringing back edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. being the most noteworthy. When taking a look at the free agent market, there’s another name the Cowboys should consider, and it’s veteran defensive tackle Calais Campbell. Of course, in the world of the NFL, any player north of 30 is considered old. Campbell is looking father time directly in the face and holding up very nicely. In 2024, his 17th in the league, Campbell finished with 52 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, five sacks, 12 quarterback hits, and also recorded five batted passes at the line of scrimmage for the Miami Dolphins. Campbell recorded a defense grade of 82.3 per Pro Football Focus, which was seventh among all defensive lineman. Also, his 85.9 run-defense grade was ranked first for all defensive lineman. With Campbell’s help, the Dolphins were ninth against the run last season and were fourth in total defense. That alone should make Campbell appealing to the Cowboys. They were terrible against the run last season and haven’t been the best going back to the Dan Quinn era. Campbell could come right in and help a guy like Osa Odighizuwa and also work with Mazi Smith to anchor the interior of the defensive line and help in turning that aspect around. With Campbell still being able to get to the quarterback, he can assist in moving the pocket as well and set up guys like All-Pro Micah Parsons and the aforementioned Fowler to make plays off the edge. Campbell played on a one-year deal worth $2 million with a $1.2 million based salary last season. Dallas currently has the ninth-most cap space at $38.5 million per Over The Cap. So, from a cost standpoint, getting Campbell is more than doable for the Cowboys.

Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images Amid all the good things the Cowboys have done this offseason, there’s still one glaring hole that needs addressed. After two weeks of free agency, the Dallas Cowboys have done a good job filling holes on their roster. They’ve lost some key players, but they have been, let’s just say, selectively aggressive in replacing them. The team is certainly active and that’s something. One area that still needs attention is the backup quarterback spot. Last season, they had two backups on the roster, Cooper Rush and Trey Lance. As of right now, neither will be returning, meaning the Cowboys will be forced to go a different direction after counting on Rush for the majority of his eight seasons with the Cowboys. Rush’s time in Dallas was weird. He was an undrafted free agent in 2017 and relegated to third-string behind Prescott and Kellen Moore. He had a great showing in preseason and eventually took over as the second-string quarterback when the team released Moore who was then signed to the practice squad. In 2018, the Cowboys drafted Mike White in the fifth round, but he struggled and was eventually sent packing. Rush thwarted any attempt to push him off the roster during his first three years in the league. It was his gig. Oddly enough, it was a gig that didn’t require him to do much on the field. Rush never started a game from 2017 to 2019 and only threw one pass for two yards. In 2020, amidst a coaching change, the Cowboys went another direction at backup quarterback. Even though Prescott hadn’t missed a single game through his first four years, the team spent a little extra money and signed Andy Dalton in free agency. They also selected Ben DiNucci late in the draft, who was a favorite of new head coach Mike McCarthy. With two new quarterbacks, Rush was released. He was signed the very next day by the New York Giants, who just so happened to have Jason Garrett as their new offensive coordinator. Rush didn’t make the team with the Giants and the Cowboys conveniently re-signed him in October after Prescott had his gruesome ankle injury and Dalton suffered a concussion. He was still stuck behind DiNucci and another backup quarterback, Garrett Gilbert. While four quarterbacks played for the Cowboys in 2020, Rush wasn’t one of them. He never played a snap that season for anyone. Rush was back in the saddle as the team’s primary backup the following year, beating out both DiNucci and Gilbert. And this go round, he finally had his number called. From 2021 to 2024, Rush made 14 starts covering for the injured Prescott. Over the next two seasons, he was 5-1 as a starter, causing the Cowboys to re-up on him with a two-year, $5 million extension. Rush finished his time in Dallas with a 9-5 record as a starter with 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. While he was never anything flashy, he proved to be an effective backup who could hold down the fort as a short-term replacement. But now Rush is gone. His departure doesn’t bring about much sadness for Cowboys’ fans. The Baltimore Ravens signed him to a two-year, $6.2 million deal (with incentives that could raise the value to $12 million) to hang out behind their All-Pro quarterback Lamar Jackson. Rush signing elsewhere leaves a hole at the backup quarterback position for the Cowboys. After that incredible four-year start where he never missed a game, Dak has missed time in four of his last five seasons. In two of those seasons, he’s missed at least half the season. He’s missed a total of 24 games in five years. The Cowboys have been without Prescott 30% of the time over the last half-decade. And it’s not likely to get much better. Prescott will be 32 when the season starts. Assuming he plays at least six games this upcoming season, he will surpass Tony Romo and have the second most starts at quarterback for the Cowboys, trailing only Troy Aikman. Currently, Will Grier is the team’s backup. Similar to Rush, Grier gets a second chance in Dallas. He was originally signed in 2021 after DiNucci was released. He never saw action with the Cowboys and was released when the team traded for Trey Lance. Speaking of Lance, the team spent a fourth-round draft pick gambling on his potential, only to realize what the San Francisco 49ers already knew. He just doesn’t have it. The Cowboys’ plan at backup QB is unclear. There’s not much left to choose from in free agency as 16 backups have already been signed. The best free agent backup QB left on the market is the 40-year-old Joe Flacco. That means the team’s best chance to get a viable backup is April’s draft, however, that could be a little tricky as well. The good news is the Cowboys have some extra Day 3 picks thanks to compensatory picks, but these picks are so late in the draft that the top 10 college prospects should be gone by then. That means the Cowboys are grasping at straws to find a quality quarterback late in the draft. It’s scary when you think about it. Nothing feels worse than when Prescott goes down and if the team doesn’t have someone giving them a fighting chance, that’s a bad spot to be in. We’ll pass judgment come summertime when it’s clearer what they’re doing, but right now they aren’t sitting in a good place when it comes to having a good backup plan at quarterback.