The Cowboys are turning to their fourth starting quarterback of the 2020 season as Garrett Gilbert will be under center.
Dallas has been in quarterback purgatory ever since the loss of Dak Prescott. The Cowboys appeared to have a solid backup plan in Andy Dalton, but the veteran missed last week due to being in the concussion protocol. This week, Dalton is on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Replacing Dalton in Week 8 was rookie Ben DiNucci. However, DiNucci wasn't that great, going 21-of-40 for 180 yards with two lost fumbles. The Cowboys are facing a very tough Steelers defense this week, and coach Mike McCarthy said of a quarterback change: "with the opponent that we're playing we need some more experience at that position."
McCarthy let Gilbert and Cooper Rush battle it out in camp this week to earn a starting job, and Gilbert won. But Gilbert is far from a household name, so you're probably wondering just who he is.
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Who is Garrett Gilbert?
Gilbert is a quarterback with limited NFL experience. He's only appeared in six career games, and has a total of six pass attempts in the NFL with only two completions. However, Gilbert has been around since 2014, bouncing around several NFL teams such as the Rams, Patriots, Lions, Raiders, Panthers and Browns.
Gilbert was a sixth-round draft pick by the Rams in 2014, but was released during roster cuts that season. He was drafted after a lengthy college career where he spent three seasons at Texas and two seasons at SMU. He left the Longhorns after losing his starting job, and transferred to SMU.
While Gilbert has limited NFL experience, he does have some notable professional football experience. Gilbert was a star in the now-defunct Alliance of American Football as a member of the Orlando Apollos.
Garrett Gilbert's AAF stats
| Att | Cmp | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
| 259 | 157 | 60.6 | 2,152 | 13 | 3 | 99.1 |
Had the Alliance of American Football finished its season, Gilbert likely would have been named league MVP. He led the league in passing yards (535 yards more than the second-leading passer) by averaging 269 yards per game. He also led the league in passer rating with his impressive 13-3 TD-INT ratio.
Gilbert shined under coach Steve Spurrier in Orlando, and was a big reason why the team finished with a league-best 7–1 record.
The interesting thing about Gilbert's stint in the AAF is the fact he turned down an NFL futures contract to play in the developmental league. Meaning he had a potential NFL job waiting for him, but he bet on himself and started in an up-and-coming league instead.
The decision worked out well for Gilbert who earned a backup job with the Browns after the AAF folded. He was moved to Cleveland's practice squad this season, and was signed by the Cowboys after Prescott's injury.
MORE: What you need to know about Dak Prescott's injury
Garrett Gilbert named Cowboys starter
Despite Cooper Rush playing for the Cowboys from 2017–2019, his history with the team wasn't enough to earn the starting position. Instead, Gilbert won the starting job over Rush heading into the Cowboys' Week 9 matchup. Gilbert discussed the competition heading into the week.
"I think ultimately, I think he understands it, too. He's been in this league long enough — we're here to win a football game," Gilbert said. "Yeah, we're competing for the starting job, but we're competing to go win a football game for this team. We would both be doing ourselves a disservice by doing that and comparing ourselves to one another, and I think we'd be doing the team a disservice because I think that would be getting in the way of our preparation. That's the only thing we can do. Continue to prepare like we're playing on Sunday."
Gilbert also discussed his career up to this point and how he never lost faith that he'd get another opportunity to play.
"It's been quite a journey," Gilbert said. "It's a fine line between saying this is over with and I don't know if I'm going to get another shot. I never lost that belief and I never lost the love for it and wanting to be out here, wanting to be playing."
