Dallas Cowboys are adding former SMU QB Garrett Gilbert for depth behind Andy Dalton
Rookie seventh-round pick Ben DiNucci will serve as Andy Dalton’s backup quarterback when the Dallas Cowboys take the field Monday night against the Arizona Cardinals in their first game after losing starter Dak Prescott for the season with a fractured right ankle.
But the team is adding a third quarterback to the roster for depth purposes and will sign former SMU and Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert off the Cleveland Browns practice squad if he can clear COVID-19 protocols.
Garrett must-complete a six-day screening process before he can enter the team’s facility.
A former sixth-round pick of the Rams in 2014, Gilbert has spent time with the Patriots, Lions, Raiders, Panthers and Browns.
He started at SMU for three seasons after transferring from Texas after three years there.
But DiNucci will be under gun first as the primary backup to Dalton, getting the second-team reps in practice and being one play away from entering the game on Monday.
“He’s going to have a lot more opportunities than he’s had the whole time he’s been here combined just next week,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said of DiNucci. “He needs to perform. He’s got to make sure his preparation is in tune. And there’s just some things you do from the second seat that goes on throughout the league. This is a big step. This is a big opportunity for Ben DiNucci.”
