Disaster struck for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night when starting quarterback Dak Prescott left the season opener in the fourth quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and team owner Jerry Jones said postgame that Prescott will undergo surgery on his right thumb.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Prescott is expected to miss 6-8 weeks.
With Prescott out, not only will the Cowboys be minus their starting signal-caller for a long period of time, but they will be replacing Prescott with Cooper Rush, who has appeared in just 10 games since entering the league in 2017 with just one start (five of those appearances and the one start came last season).
Monday morning on “Keyshawn, JWill and Max” on ESPN, Dan Orlovsky proposed that Dallas should try to trade for Baltimore Ravens backup and former Utah Utes star Tyler Huntley to fill in for Prescott rather than rely on Rush.
Who can save the Cowboys season? @danorlovsky7’s proposal is this:
— Keyshawn, JWill & Max (@KeyJayandMax) September 12, 2022
“I would call Baltimore and see if they would trade me Tyler Huntley.” pic.twitter.com/yGSjQIl6Aw
“Their season’s over, and the only way that it’s not over is I would call Baltimore and see if they would trade me Tyler Huntley,” Orlovsky said. “That’s the one player that I believe at that spot you have the chance to get and also could potentially save that six- or eight-game stretch.”
Max Kellerman responded by saying, “I like Huntley. Huntley does a ‘fear (Ravens star) Lamar Jackson’ impersonation when he’s in there.”
Keyshawn Johnson acknowledged he’s not too familiar with all of the backups in the NFL, but said, “Nah, not Tyler Huntley.”
Jay Williams noted that former Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians was on the show recently and spoke highly of Huntley.
“He was like, their system, they love him, they think he’s a good fit,” Williams said, recounting Arians’ comments from the Ravens’ perspective.
Johnson observed that while Huntley might fit what Baltimore does, that doesn’t necessarily mean he would be a good fit in Dallas. That point was countered by the rest of the group, who expressed that the Cowboys can’t really afford to be picky.
Johnson said that without Prescott, Dallas probably isn’t going to be successful regardless of who its starting quarterback is, but Orlovsky replied with, “There’s no doubt, but here’s the reality though, Key, and you know this: If the Cowboys don’t at least go try to trade for a player like Huntley, then everyone in the organization’s waving the white flag saying, ‘All right, we’re done.’”
Huntley has appeared in nine games over two seasons with the Ravens, and made four starts last season in relief of Jackson.