Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints. (Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports)
The Dallas Cowboys have to get better play at the quarterback position in 2021.
2021 cannot be what 2020 was for the Dallas Cowboys under any capacity whatsoever.
Though the likelihood of first-year head coach Mike McCarthy going one-and-done leading “America’s Team” is not great, neither is the awful NFC East football team. This is the worst team in the division and much of that has to do with bad quarterback play in the wake of Dak Prescott’s season ending injury. Here are three signal-callers who could start in Big D Week 1 of 2021.
3 quarterbacks who could be Cowboys’ Week 1 starter
3
Jameis Winston
QB New Orleans Saints
He did throw for over 5,000 yards on an NFL team two years ago
There will be a handful of veteran quarterbacks worth kicking the tires on in 2021 NFL free agency. Dallas made what was thought to be a smart decision to sign longtime Cincinnati Bengals starter Andy Dalton after it became abundantly clear Cincinnati was going to take LSU Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Dalton has been okay.
A lot of this is contingent on him not expect to play a snap this year, as he was brought into be Dak Prescott’s high-end backup. Forced into duty mid-season, Dalton has since battled injuries, COVID and a whole other mess of Cowboys nonsense. Let’s just say it has not been a great return home to DFW for the former TCU Horned Frogs star quarterback. So what could Dallas do differently?
One player who may be worth looking at is former Heisman Trophy winner and New Orleans Saints third-stringer Jameis Winston. He is only two years removed from throwing for 5,0000 yards, 30 touchdowns. . .and 30 interceptions in his fifth year as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting quarterback. Winston has hardly played in his first year with the New Orleans Saints.
The talent is there, as is the production. Perhaps a year learning under Drew Brees, Sean Payton, Pete Carmichael Jr. and maybe even Taysom Hill could be what was necessary for Winston to rehabilitate his NFL quarterbacking image? Assuming Hill is Brees’ heir apparent in 2021, Winston will be one-and-done with the Saints and will look for a team like the Cowboys to link up with.