News: BTB: Did the Dallas Cowboys improve at quarterback in 2017?

[NewsBot]

Did the Dallas Cowboys improve at the quarterback position for 2017?

[After an incredible rise from worst to first in 2016 that saw the Cowboys ride the backs of two outstanding rookie campaigns to 13-3 and a changing of the guard, we have to examine the roster. From 1 to 53, we only have one question?

Have the Dallas Cowboys improved?]

Continuing the series, we’re going to look at the quarterback position for improvement. I guess it just depends on how you look at it.

Last Season:

QB1 Tony Romo (compression fracture in preseason, missed 10 weeks, played one game, three for four, 75 yards, one TD, 134.4 QB rating, “retired” from Cowboys took CBS gig with Jim Nantz)

QB2 Kellen Moore (fractured fibula in training camp, placed on IR)

QB3 Dak Prescott (drafted 135th overall, started 16 games, 3,667 yards, 23 TDs, four interceptions, 104.9 QB rating, Pro Bowl selection, Rookie of the Year Award)

QB4 Mark Sanchez (played two games, 10 for 18, 93 yards, two interceptions, 30.3 QB rating, signed one-year $2M-deal with Bears)

This Season:

QB1 Dak Prescott

QB2 Kellen Moore

QB Cooper Rush

QB Zac Dysert (2013 seventh-round pick for Broncos, spent offseason with Bears, Texans, Bills, Dolphins, and Cardinals)

There isn’t much to complain about when you had the kind of success the Cowboys did last year with a rookie quarterback. It’s hard to explain how these things happen but they just do. Sometimes these things take time as we saw from Troy Aikman to Tony Romo. As for 2016, the Cowboys put Dak Prescott in the right position to succeed and he flourished. He set new rookie records and showed exactly the leadership qualities it takes to lead a team.

Though it’s always hard to say goodbye to a legend like Tony Romo, Prescott continuously shut the door on the argument every time it cracked open for a Romo return. The new era didn’t wait for anyone to get comfortable with it and that’s quite alright.

Kellen Moore has been a topic of discussion because there are reservations with him being the guy should the Cowboys need him to be. However, he’s got the vote of confidence from the offensive coordinator and was a big help in the quarterback room each week last season. He’s got the skills from the shoulders up but it’s the physical limitations that are a cause for concern.

Cooper Rush kind of suffers from the same limitations as Moore does but he’s just younger. He was a quarterback that showed a lot of moxie. He was able to lead the Chippewas to two bowl games (they lost both). Rush put up a decent stat sheet with 12,891 passing yards, 62% completion, 90 touchdowns, 55 interceptions, and a 139.1 passer rating.

Zac Dysert has been with six different teams for training camp and the preseason. It doesn’t look like he’s much more than a camp arm. The Cowboys have been adamant about paying close attention to the waiver wire and that’s how they’re going to play it.

Conclusion: As mentioned at the top of this article, it all depends on how you look at it. Taking everything into consideration, there is an improvement with the fact they got younger going forward. At 37, Romo hadn’t played a full season since 2012 and the better’s money was not on his side. Prescott stepped in and ushered in the new era for Cowboys fans worldwide. By finding their heir much earlier than expected, they won that round. They can feel better about the durability of their starter in 2017. Losing Tony Romo as a backup is a different story.

If we’re talking backup quarterbacks, they’re not far off from most teams in that regard. There are not 32 capable starting quarterbacks in the league much less a backup better than what Dak had in his first year. They are likely no better than they were in 2015 should they lose their starter. That’s still a problem and will remain something to monitor.

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