5 quarterbacks who could start for the Cowboys with Dak Prescott out

1. Jimmy Garoppolo

Well, it’s something you have to at least discuss, right? Jimmy G was the hottest name on the trade block for the majority of the offseason and well into the preseason. That is at least until the San Francisco 49ers restructured his contact a couple of weeks ago.

Garoppolo is not an elite quarterback, but he’s certainly the best quarterback on this list right now. And it shouldn’t take nonsensical Jerry Jones math to see that. He’s a big step up from Grier or Rush, and unlike Newton and Fitzpatrick, he’s on an NFL roster right now and in football shape.

For all his faults, he also has a very legitimate postseason resume. He’s won two Super Bowls as Tom Brady’s backup in New England, started one with San Francisco, and had the 49ers within one score of going back again last season. It’s not always pretty, but Garoppolo consistently has his teams in positions to succeed.

With Prescott out for several weeks, Dallas would be wise to at least take San Francisco’s temperature on what a trade for Jimmy Garoppolo would look like. If the Cowboys are serious about making a deep playoff push this year, then Garoppolo could be the best available option to keep the ship afloat.

One thing is for sure. The front office can’t continue to sit idly by when things go wrong and hope for magic. They did that with the OL and WR groups and that proved to be costly in Week 1.