With Jon Kitna announcing his retirement, it is time for the Dallas Cowboys to analyze their quarterback position. Tony Romo is the starter for years to come but his backup is an important decision, especially when you look at his injuries over the past two seasons.
Stephen McGee is the obvious first choice. Dallas drafted McGee out of Texas A&M in 2009 and he has served as the third string quarterback since then. He has learned the Cowboys' system over the years, under both head coach Jason Garrett and assistant Wade Wilson, two former Cowboys' quarterbacks themselves.
Since 2009, McGee has played in three regular season games. His stats are 46-of-82 (56.1) passing for 420 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. His quarterback rating is 82.4. This is also the last year of McGee's rookie contract so it is time for Dallas to determine if he is the best choice as a backup quarterback or if it is time to look elsewhere.
If McGee is not seen as the best choice, and there is a good chance Dallas wants someone safer to backup Romo, this is the year they need to find that quarterback. In his main action of 2011, McGee replaced Romo against Philadelphia and finished the game going 24-of-38 for 182 yards with a touchdown at the end of the game. Dallas lost, 20-7.
The choices for the Cowboys in the free agent market include Jason Campbell, A.J. Feeley, Sage Rosenfels and Vince Young.
With the Cowboys located square in the heart of Texas, Vince Young could be a huge hit with the home town fans. However, he would be a horrible choice as the backup quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. He started three games in 2011, threw for 866 yards, four touchdowns and nine interceptions. He is a good backup for a running quarterback like Michael Vick but not for a pure passer like Romo.
Jason Campbell might be the better fit. It would also be nice to find a backup who probably still holds a grudge against the Washington Redskins, who gave up on him despite his solid numbers. At 30, he would be a good backup with upside and could thrive in a good system.
Feeley and Rosenfels are career backups and not very good ones at that.
If Dallas goes with the NFL Draft, they will probably wait till later rounds to find a quarterback, where they might latch onto names like Case Keenum (Houston) or Kellen Moore (Boise State). If they grab one of these players, it might be time to cut McGee loose. If they want to stick with McGee, I'd grab Campbell as a backup for 2012 and see where McGee ends up after his rookie contract expires.
Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys' fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys' related news, good or bad
