5 best training camp battles for Cowboys in 2019
The Dallas Cowboys enter training camp later this week as defending NFC East champions, but they do have a few positions up for grabs.
It has been a relatively low key offseason for the Dallas Cowboys, who didn’t make a ton of big splashes in free agency because they didn’t really need to. The Cowboys have built the nucleus of a strong contender, with a solid offensive line to protect their franchise quarterback, Dak Prescott, giving him time to either hand off to Ezekiel Elliott or throw it deep to Amari Cooper.
Dallas also has a tremendous defense, which was the strength of the team a year ago. As a result of all the strong work they have done, Dallas didn’t need to go bonkers this spring in order to have a good chance to defend their NFC East title.
With training camp set to open on Friday, the Cowboys have a lot on their plate to deal with in terms of contracts and adjustments to the new play calls from first time coordinator Kellen Moore, but there are a few key positional battles to monitor as camp progresses.
We have identified five big ones, beginning with the backup quarterback battle between Cooper Rush and Mike White.
5. Backup quarterback
The Cowboys are fortunate to have a strong starting quarterback with Dak Prescott, who has been exceptionally healthy since entering the NFL. While most teams hope they never need their backup quarterback, the Cowboys need to be prepared if the worst case scenario comes to pass.
There isn’t a clear cut backup in Dallas right now, with the Cowboys letting Cooper Rush take on second year man Mike White. White was Dallas’ fifth round draft pick a year ago and has yet to play in a regular season game, while Rush’s only NFL experience came in relief of Prescott in 2017.
Neither passer stood out during OTAs, so this competition should come down to how well they run the offense in training camp and how they fare in preseason games. Prescott figures to have very limited snaps in exhibition action in order to keep him healthy for the season, so there will be plenty of snaps for Rush and White to handle.
It’s fair to say that Dallas doesn’t want to need either Rush or White during the season, but if one of them can distinguish themselves in August it would make their lives a lot easier. Bad performances out of both could send the Cowboys looking for a veteran off the scrap heap in order to give themselves a viable insurance policy at the game’s most important position.