Dallas Cowboys: 15 greatest quarterbacks in franchise history

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Jon Kitna, Dallas Cowboys. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

13. player. 123. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. QB. (2009-11, 2013). JonKitna

Jon Kitna joined the Cowboys in 2009 at the age of 37. This came after stints with the Seattle Seahawks, the Cincinnati Bengals the and Detroit Lions. At each of these stops, Kitna ended up as a primary starter and had his best run late in his tenure with the Bengals.

By the time he joined Dallas, he was ready to be a seasoned backup to Tony Romo. However, he once again found himself thrust into a starting role once Romo suffered a broken collarbone.

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Kitna ended up starting nine games for Dallas. Although the Cowboys finished with a losing record of 4-5, he wasn’t to blame for that.

Kitna played well, as he completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 2,365 yards. He also had a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 16-to-12.

The veteran returned in 2011, but suffered a back injury and then retired from the NFL. That wasn’t the last Dallas heard of Kitna though, as he came back in 2013 to backup Kyle Orton in a season finale, as Romo was out with a back injury and they had no reserve behind Orton.

Kitna donated his salary for that game to Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington — which is where he was coaching before re-joining the team.

Once again, Kitna proved he just couldn’t stay away from Big D, as he did return with the team as the quarterbacks’ coach in 2019. It was his first and only season coaching in the NFL and he’s credited for helping Dak Prescott clean up his accuracy in Kellen Moore’s offense.

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