The draft usually turns into a lottery on day 3. The difficulty of projecting what could be obtained with late picks is quite high. Logically that increases with the passing of the rounds, so those chosen in the last one are bets at a very low price. Ben DiNucci entered this field in 2020.
A prior acquaintance with Mike McCarthy was what influenced the young man from James Madison University to come to Dallas. Being a new head coach and referring to the 231st overall pick, Jerry Jones agreed to McCarthy’s request to bring in the quarterback as a development option. However, the results were not as desired.
Nobody expected much from DiNucci as he was just a gamble with the potential to become a cheap replacement for years to come. Although Dak Prescott’s devastating injury in Week 5 altered the franchise’s plans drastically. For that reason, Andy Dalton was on the roster, but the Red Rifle also had physical problems during the season.
CB Nahshon Wright jumped an 11-on-11 route against QB Ben DiNucci in right flat, all but positioning himself for a pick-six. Just dropped it. Good anticipation, though. Cowboys liked his ball skills coming out of Oregon State.
– Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) May 25, 2021
A game that was expected to be decisive had DiNucci as the starting QB of the Cowboys in his eighth presentation. It became clear that facing the Eagles in Sunday Night Football was not the ideal setting for a rookie not yet ready for the NFL. There was a mistake by McCarthy in exposing the young man in such an unfavorable situation.
That performance in Philadelphia left many doubts regarding his immediate future in the league. Although he finished with 180 yards passing with no touchdowns or interceptions, his two lost fumbles were decisive for the 23-9 loss. Beyond the statistics themselves, it was seen that he is not yet at the proper level.
But the question now is whether he can even stay in Dallas this year. Because he was a rookie in the first team, he was not eligible to be in the rookie minicamp. For that reason it is that the arrivals of JT Barrett and Brady Davis may not have so much to do with a question of yours, but they were necessary to be able to carry out the training.
Free agent quarterback Brett Hundley completed his workout with the Cowboys today and I’m told the workout went very well. He’s still in Dallas and remains an option for the team’s QB room.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) May 21, 2021
What should concern DiNucci about his tenure as a member of the Cowboys is the constant search for a backup. He is currently competing for that position with Garrett Gilbert and Cooper Rush. However, there is no question that McCarthy’s staff is unhappy with the options he has.
One name who was on the premises for a test was Jeff Driskel. The former Bengals quarterback participated in some workouts before signing with the Texans. Another veteran who showed up in Dallas was Brett Hundley. The past in common with the HC in the Packers opened the door for a brief evaluation.
True, it doesn’t look very likely that there will be three more quarterbacks in the final roster of 53. That makes training camp along with preseason games critical to DiNucci’s continuity. A place in the practice team is what seems most logical, although his production must improve a lot to be better considered.