National Football League

Rush Hour In Dallas?

Published Nov. 4, 2020 1:02 p.m. ET

The Dallas Cowboys are reshuffling the deck at quarterback ... again.

With Dak Prescott's season over due to injury and Andy Dalton on the COVID-19/reserve list, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is preparing to start a fourth different quarterback in as many weeks.

Either Cooper Rush or Garrett Gilbert is expected to start against the Steelers on Sunday, following rookie Ben DiNucci's rocky outing against the Philadelphia Eagles.

DiNucci lost two fumbles in the 23-9 loss, and earlier this week Cowboys owner Jerry Jones admitted it was "more than he could handle" in an interview with Dallas' 105.3 The Fan.

On Wednesday, McCarthy explained that the Cowboys aren't giving up on DiNucci, but are hopeful a more experienced hand at the position will be able to play steward against the Steelers.

For Skip Bayless, the news is another bitter pill to swallow in a season that sees Dallas at 2-6 heading into Week 9.

"So, I'm going to assume it's now Cooper Rush or bust on Sunday. ... Now, I'm just crushed again. I cannot even get a break. I can't get a COVID break. I just lost 'The Best Backup in Pro Football.' Andy Dalton is on the COVID list, and I'm on the 'I'm outta here' list."

Rush and Gilbert have a combined nine pass attempts in their NFL careers, although Rush has the benefit of familiarity in Dallas.

The 26-year-old Rush went undrafted in 2017, but signed with Dallas as a rookie free agent and hung around until he was waived earlier this year in May, following Dalton's signing.

The New York Giants claimed Rush off of waivers on May 5 but wound up releasing him from the practice squad on Sept. 29. Now, Rush is back for a second stint in Dallas.

Meanwhile, Gilbert bounced around the league after being drafted in the sixth round by the then-St. Louis Rams in 2014 and subsequently cut the same year.

More recently, Gilbert enjoyed success as the starting QB for the Orlando Apollos of the Alliance of American Football last year.

Before the AAF ceased operations, Gilbert led the league with 2,152 passing yards and was second with 13 passing touchdowns.

The duo is expected to battle it out for the right to start against the Steelers, a daunting task for whoever emerges with the job.

Pittsburgh is 7-0 on the season and is coming off of a standout performance against the Baltimore Ravens that saw the Steelers record four takeaways and four sacks.

Given all of the uncertainty, it's little surprise then that the Cowboys are the biggest underdogs of the weekend at +13.5, per FOX Bet's insights.

Unfortunately for Dallas, it looks like a dreadful season could wind up getting uglier this weekend.