Could Cowboys Look to Jets For Quarterback Help After Dak Prescott Injury?
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All of a sudden, the Cowboys need a quarterback.
Perhaps the Jets can help.
Dak Prescott suffered an injury to his right thumb during a disastrous loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday night, an injury that will require surgery.
Prescott will miss six-to-eight weeks and the injury will likely land him on injured reserve, according to ESPN.
As much as New York is dealing with their own quarterback crisis—with Zach Wilson out until at least Week 4, recuperating from right knee surgery—the Jets have a backup that showed last year he's deserving of a bigger opportunity.
Mike White, who was originally drafted by the Cowboys back in 2018, put on a show in his first career start a year ago, dropping 405 yards in an upset win over the soon-to-be AFC champion Bengals.
Factoring in White's numbers from five total games played last season—all filling in for Wilson during a previous knee injury—the former fifth-round pick racked up 953 passing yards, throwing five touchdowns with eight interceptions.
Those numbers looked much better before his clunker against the Buffalo Bills in his final start before Wilson's return, a game in which White threw four picks and completed just 54.55% of his passes.
White did all that with a banged-up Jets roster that ended up winning just four games a year ago. Who knows how he could do in Prescott's place with Dallas—granted the Cowboys have their own issues to deal with after a 19-3 loss in Week 1.
If Dallas sticks with their internal options, they'd be rolling with Cooper Rush or Will Grier. Rush has been around with the Cowboys since 2017, so he's extremely familiar with the system and coaching staff (and vice versa), but entering play on Sunday he had only accumulated 424 passing yards in that span. Grier, meanwhile, has played in two NFL games, throwing for 228 yards with four picks.
Obviously this is all speculation. Who knows if the Jets would even be willing to move White, considering the way he's played in the past and how much the organization loves having him around. Then again, with Flacco clearly the second-string option in Florham Park after Wilson, there's less of a reason to hold on to White this year, assuming Wilson is able to come back from his injury in a few weeks and stay healthy for the rest of the campaign.
Plus, the Jets have Chris Streveler on their practice squad, a signal-caller that shined and won over the fan base (in similar fashion to White) during the preseason.
Who knows, maybe Dallas has been watching White from afar, knowing his potential from when they drafted him all those years ago. If they're comfortable with their depth, then there's no reason to make a trade. If they really want to replace Prescott, they can shoot higher than a backup like White (how 'bout Jimmy Garoppolo).
It's worth a conversation, though. Remember, these two teams chatted about a possible trade not too long ago, reportedly discussing a deal for offensive lineman Chuma Edoga.
MORE:
- Robert Saleh Critical of Jets' Mistakes After Ugly Loss in Opener
- Jets Get Crushed as Ravens Cruise to Week 1 Rout
- Jets' Duane Brown Out For Much More Than Just Week 1
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