The Dallas Cowboys signed Andy Dalton prior to the season for the exact situation they are currently facing, and the veteran quarterback seems like he is anxious to capitalize on the opportunity.
Dalton took over for Prescott in Sunday’s game game against the New York Giants after Prescott suffered one of the most gruesome ankle injuries you will ever see. Everyone on the field was understandably rattled, but Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup says Dalton had a great message for the team’s offense when he got into the huddle.
Michael Gallup says every time Andy Dalton enters the huddle he says: "I came here to win. I came here to play. So let's do it."
Dalton to the offense when he came in after Dak went down: "Focus up. This is what I came here for."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 14, 2020
The Cowboys went on to win on a field goal as time expired. Dalton completed 9-of-11 passes for 111 yards.
Dalton signed a one-year deal with the Cowboys that can be worth as much as $7 million. That is top money for a backup quarterback, but Dallas was willing to pay it in case something happened to Prescott. We saw the same formula pay off in a huge way a few years ago when Nick Foles led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl. Dalton has a long way to go before he can even start thinking about that, but the idea is the same. In fact, Stephen Jones compared the two situations after the Cowboys signed Dalton.
While it would be unwise to expect him to play as well as Prescott, Dalton has extensive NFL starting experience. He has also made it clear that he is not going to accept being a career backup, so this is the exact chance he was hoping for, even if the circumstances are unfortunate.
