In the team’s 23-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football, DiNucci finished with 180 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and two fumbles. When talking to 105.3 The Fan, Jones said that the Cowboys “paid the price” having the former James Madison quarterback start.
“Well, I think that it was a lot for him,” said Jones, via 247 Sports. “I think we certainly, as a team, paid the price to have him come in under those circumstances. And that’s almost trite. It was, frankly, more than he could handle. I don’t know what you could have expected for somebody to come in under those circumstances. But they’ve got a — Philadelphia, if they’re strong anywhere, they can bring the pressure and they can bring some challenges defensively. They did and it was dramatic. And so, it’s tough to win a ballgame like that.”
According to multiple reports, the Cowboys could lean towards experience than the rookie this week. Two different NFL reporters have confirmed that the Cowboys are looking at options outside of their 2020 seventh-round pick.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Cowboys are leaning towards starting Garrett Gilbert this Sunday against the 7-0 Pittsburgh Steelers.
“The #Cowboys plan to give Garrett Gilbert and Cooper Rush reps in practice and pick one of them at week’s end to start at QB against the #Steelers, sources tell me and @RapSheet. It won’t be rookie Ben DiNucci, who struggled Sunday night. Playing to experience at the position.”
This would be a huge development. The Cowboys are 0-3 since Dalton and DiNucci have taken over. Those losses include being outscored 86-22 by the Arizona Cardinals, Washington Football Team, and Philadelphia Eagles.
It would also be the first NFL start for Rush or Gilbert. At 2-6, the Cowboys are just reaching this point.