Could Cowboys consider Cam Newton following Prescott injury?
The Dallas Cowboys are set to be without starting quarterback Dak Prescott for some time after he suffered a serious thumb injury during Dallas' "Sunday Night Football" loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that left him needing surgery.
Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters Monday that the club doesn't yet have a timetable for Prescott's return, but it's been reported that the two-time Pro Bowl selection is expected to miss roughly six-to-eight weeks of action. McCarthy is currently having backup Cooper Rush prepare to start for this Sunday's game versus the 0-1 Cincinnati Bengals, but the Cowboys are being linked by some with San Francisco 49ers veteran Jimmy Garoppolo and Mason Rudolph of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
At least one person believes Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones should look to the free-agency market for help.
For a piece published Monday afternoon, Eric Edholm of the NFL's website named 2015 Most Valuable Player Cam Newton among options for the Cowboys.
Newton returned to the Carolina Panthers last season after he spent the 2020 campaign with the New England Patriots. He lost all five of his starts with the Panthers in 2021 and completed just 54.8% of his passes for 684 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions before he was benched.
He's remained unsigned since the start of the new NFL year in March.
"It’s possible that Dallas could sign a player such as Newton and build a package of plays for him as a change-up option to either Rush or some other middling alternative," Edholm explained. "Over his past 23 games (20 starts), Newton at least has provided a quality scrambling option, running for 822 yards and 17 TDs on 184 attempts."
Of course, Newton hasn't been the same force since he first started being bothered by lingering shoulder issues in 2016.
"But he’s also struggled as a passer since his career-changing injury in 2018, throwing for more interceptions (16) than touchdowns (12), struggling with consistent accuracy and averaging a mere 6.7 yards per attempt over the past three seasons," Edholm added. "The flip side is that he likely would come cheap, and the team could move on at any point without much hindrance."
For now, the Dallas job appears to be Rush's to at least hold onto depending on how he performs against a Bengals team that fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers 23-20 in overtime on Sunday afternoon.
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