Should the Cowboys Shop For a Backup Quarterback?

Ok, guys. Here me out.

On a scale from one to Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars, how much did Kellen Moore crumble in the Dallas Cowboys’ victory over the Indianapolis Colts last Saturday? Before answering that, think about the fumble on his very first play of the game that converted into points for the Colts. Yea.

Moore finished that game 10 of 21 for 131 yards and no touchdowns. Not exactly the ideal outing for someone trying to claim that number two spot.

The five-year veteran quarterback holds the advantage of knowing the Cowboys’ offense, but his preseason performance has sparked conversation on both ends of the spectrum. Clarence E. Hill, Jr. of the Fort Worth Star- Telegram reported that, according to a source, Moore would be the “subject of conversation at personnel meeting this week.” Then, of course, there’s this from coach Jason Garrett:

“I thought he threw the ball to the right guy a lot. I think the biggest thing if you look at his drives is we got behind the chains a little bit, had some holding penalties and you’re looking at some tough down-and-distances. And it’s hard to overcome that. But I thought he handled that stuff for the most part pretty well and just kept trying to execute ball plays. He will continue to do that.”

Meanwhile, Cowboys undrafted rookie Cooper Rush shined in Saturday’s game, finishing with two touchdowns and a 148.8 passer rating. Rush worked with the second-team offense at times during Monday’s practice, according to DallasCowboys.com.

For our entertainment, let’s do something the Cowboys haven’t done yet. Let’s look outside of the organization for a potential backup. The ideal backup quarterback for the Cowboys, in my opinion, is one with a little more experience than Rush and has the talent to continue to push starter Dak Prescott to be his best. A talented athlete who could step in, should something happen to Prescott, and keep the team in contention.

Colin. Kaepernick.

Last season the veteran quarterback finished the season with a 90.7 passer rating. Not stellar, but not bad for a player who was recovering from three major surgeries and working an ok offense. Kaep is back at his healthy playing weight. He’s big, athletic, and he can hurt you with his arms AND legs on the field.

He’ll be a distraction to the team, and it will be a media circus!

How? The only reason he’s being discussed in the media right now is because he doesn’t have a job. Even after that, it will die down, like everything else. Plus, his last team continuously said he wasn’t a distraction in the locker room. Couldn’t be any more distracting than some of the other issues that plagued the Cowboys this summer, right?

He’s not even that good!

Which looks better to you?

Kellen Moore

Year	Team	G	Att	Comp	Pct	Att/G	Yds/G	TD	Int	Lng	20+	40+	Sck	Rate
2015	Dallas Cowboys	3	104	61	58.7	34.7	259.7	4	6	36	13	0	5	71.0
2014	Detroit Lions	0				0								0.0
2013	Detroit Lions	0				0								0.0
2012	Detroit Lions	0				0								0.0
Total		3	104	61	58.7	34.7	259.7	4	6	36	13	0	5	71.0

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Colin Kaepernick

Passing
Year	Team	G	Att	Comp	Pct	Att/G	Yds	Avg	Yds/G	TD	Int	Lng	20+	40+	Sck	Rate
2016	San Francisco 49ers	12	331	196	59.2	27.6	2,241	6.8	186.8	16	4	65 TD	25	5	36	90.7
2015	San Francisco 49ers	9	244	144	59.0	27.1	1,615	6.6	179.4	6	5	76 TD	19	7	28	78.5
2014	San Francisco 49ers	16	478	289	60.5	29.9	3,369	7.0	210.6	19	10	80 TD	48	5	52	86.4
2013	San Francisco 49ers	16	416	243	58.4	26.0	3,197	7.7	199.8	21	8	64 TD	46	10	39	91.6
2012	San Francisco 49ers	13	218	136	62.4	16.8	1,814	8.3	139.5	10	3	57	32	4	16	98.3
Total		69	1,692	1,011	59.8	24.5	12,271	7.3	177.8	72	30	80	170	31	171	88.9
Rushing
Year	Team	G	Att	Att/G	Yds	Avg	Yds/G	TD	Lng	1st	20+	40+	FUM
2016	San Francisco 49ers	12	69	5.8	468	6.8	39.0	2	30	28	3	0	2
2015	San Francisco 49ers	9	45	5.0	256	5.7	28.4	1	15	13	0	0	4
2014	San Francisco 49ers	16	104	6.5	639	6.1	39.9	1	90 TD	28	7	1	5
2013	San Francisco 49ers	16	92	5.8	524	5.7	32.8	4	28	28	4	0	3
2012	San Francisco 49ers	13	63	4.8	415	6.6	31.9	5	50 TD	18	3	2	7
Total		69	375	5.4	2,300	6.1	33.3	13	90	115	17	3	21

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I don’t like how he protests the flag.

Well, he isn’t protesting the flag or the national anthem. He’s protesting police brutality, and that’s a different article for a different site. Jerry Jones has made it clear that his players will stand for the anthem, and Kaepernick has even said he would stand this season.

At the end of the day, this should be about placing your team in the best position to have a successful season. A seasoned, athletic veteran quarterback like Kaepernick at backup could be a good move for the Cowboys.

Do I think it will happen? Probably not. But, it’s worth discussing.