The focus continues to stay on the backup quarterback position for the Dallas Cowboys. As the team leans away from getting someone in the draft and towards a potential free agent option, names continue to circle around the franchise. The Cowboys have already made it clear that bringing on Johnny Manziel is not the preferred move while doubt surrounds Robert Griffin III. That leaves Kellen Moore as potentially the best option.
Moore saw a brief amount of playing time in 2015 when Matt Cassel was struggling to win games. Moore did not have much better luck. The quarterback played in three games. He threw for 779 yards with a 58.7 completion percentage while tossing four touchdowns and six interceptions. Those numbers are not good, but are they better than what someone like Griffin could offer up?
According to the Dallas Morning News, there is a case to keep Moore on as the backup quarterback. Moore did outplay both Cassel and Brandon Weeden despite arriving in Dallas after the season had already begun. Moore is young with almost no mileage on him. He is not the most exciting option to put under center if Tony Romo gets hurt, but he might make the most sense.
When looking at the other options, no one is a guaranteed home run. Griffin might have reached his peak already in the league. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a veteran and not a long-term option. Carson Wentz and Jared Goff are not worth spending a first-round pick on. Unless the Cowboys favor someone like Colt McCoy, Moore could be the potential target for the role.
The chances Moore becomes a starting quarterback in the NFL are slim. The Cowboys do not need someone that can be a starter right away. They need someone as insurance to Romo. Owner Jerry Jones told the media that he believes Romo still has plenty of time left in the league. There is no point in using a first-round pick on Wentz just to let him sit on the bench for the next five years. With weakness in this year's quarterback class and the free agent market, keeping Moore should be a potential move for the Cowboys.
Jones is keeping coy on the team's options. He has been complimentary of the idea of getting Griffin. He praised the talent entering the NFL Draft. Head coach Jason Garrett spent a lot of time with players like Wentz at the Senior Bowl. It remains to be seen what the team does. Jones made it clear they have flexibility and will not rush the decision.
"Well, let's just put it like this: We all would be aware that to bet on out Kellen Moore for our backup quarterback has elements of risk to it, but I'm not so sure that that's any riskier than anything you would do with a decision in the future," Jones said, via ESPN.com. "On the other hand, what would enhance me taking risk is a bigger upside. And if that upside is there, that old risk-reward situation, then, yeah. This is as far as we're going to go here now with this because I don't want to get involved in any type of tampering situation. We'd take some risks."
