Should the Dallas Cowboys sign Nick Foles?

With the L.A. Rams recently granting quarterback Nick Foles his outright release, should the Dallas Cowboys try to sign the veteran to bolster their depth chart?

The Dallas Cowboys lost 11 of the 12 games starting quarterback Tony Romo was not under center for them in 2015 due to two separate collarbone injuries that he suffered last season. Three different back-up quarterbacks, Brandon Weeden, Matt Cassel and Kellen Moore, were only able to muster one win between them.

So going into this offseason, it was key the Cowboys find more quality depth behind a 36-year old Romo in Dallas. After two failed attempts to draft higher-ranked quarterback prospects, Dallas selected Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott late in the fourth round.

Prescott is consider a developmental project and will likely not be the Cowboys primary back-up to Romo in 2016. Instead, Dallas has decided to retain Moore and they believe he could play that pivotal role behind their aging starter.

The highly decorated college quarterback who won 50 games as a four-year starter at Boise State, Moore’s NFL career has been non-existent. Going into his fifth-season in the NFL as a back-up, the 27-year old only saw his first regular season action last year in the Cowboys final three games, all defeats. But Moore’s 435-yard, three touchdown performance against the Washington Redskins in Week 17 gave Dallas confidence he could handle the back-up role.

Now comes the possible monkey wrench to those plans. Four-year veteran starting quarterback Nick Foles has hit the open market after the L.A. Rams granted his outright release from the team on Wednesday. The Cowboys know Foles very well, having faced him during his first three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.

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Foles is a native Texan out of Austin who towers over the diminutive Moore (6-0, 200) with a prototypical quarterback frame of 6-6, 243 pounds. The 27-year old also has more playing experience with 35 starts under his belt, one of which was in the playoffs. He was named a Pro Bowler in 2013 after throwing for 2,891 yards, 27 touchdowns and only two interceptions that season for the Eagles.

So does Foles makes sense for the Cowboys to sign? At the right price, I believe so. But likely not right now. Foles has had measurable success in the NFL. And having faced him several times, Dallas likely understands his game better than most.

The one caveat to a possible Foles signing in Dallas is the fact the Cowboys may not want to disrupt the chemistry and growth they’ve already seen from their current crop of quarterbacks on the depth chart.

For instance, Cowboys offensive coordinator is a big supporter of Moore. That’s his guy. The veteran fully understands the playbook and is reportedly great in meetings and in the locker room. There may be no better veteran in the league for a rookie like Prescott to learn from.

One name that’s not being talked about is second-year quarterback Jameill Showers. The former back-up to both Ryan Tannehill and Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M was reportedly the best quarterback during OTA’s other than Romo himself.

If the Cowboys like what they’ve been seeing out of Moore, Prescott and Showers, I’m not sure they would want to disrupt that chemistry by throwing Foles into the mix as well. In fact, they stated recently that they would prefer to see what their current crop of players can do before they consider signing a free agent when it comes their defense. The same philosophy likely applies for the other side of the ball as well.

Dallas may decide to sit out the initial surge for Foles’ services and stand pat, opting to see how their current hand plays out. If they don’t like what they see from their quarterbacks during training camp and in the preseason, that’s when they’ll likely make a move.

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But let’s not forget the wild card that is owner and general manager Jerry Jones. After striking out in the draft for a top quarterback prospect, Jones may see Foles as a shot at redemption. And he’ll make the move if he believes it will improve his chances of winning it all. Combine that with the fact the Cowboys have a history of paying out big for back-up quarterbacks (see: Kyle Orton) and Foles could very well end up in Dallas at some point. Whether he should or not is to be determined.

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