Dallas Cowboys Rumors: Matt Cassel To Be New Starting Quarterback For Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys rumors have Matt Cassel as the new starting quarterback. The Cowboys rumors indicate that Cassel will take over for Brandon Weeden following the bye week for the team. A report from ESPN on October 13 states that both quarterbacks have already been told the news. A confirmation from the team hasn’t come just yet, so the new is still getting classified as a rumor.
Weeden did not look good in a Week 5 loss to the New England Patriots, kick-starting rumors that he would be replaced as the starting quarterback. In the third-straight game the Cowboys have been without Tony Romo, Weeden ended up posting his 11th straight loss as a starter. That streak doesn’t seem like something the coaches or owner Jerry Jones wants to live with any longer.
Weeden finished the game completing 26-of-39 passes for 188 yards and no touchdowns. He threw an interception and the Cowboys failed to score a single touchdown on the day. It dropped the team to 2-3 in the latest NFL standings and forced the hand of the coaching staff. Now, the team will turn to Cassel in the hopes of a different outcome in Week 6.
It is expected that the Dallas Cowboys rumors about a quarterback change will be confirmed by the team on Wednesday, October 14, and that Matt Cassel will begin taking a majority of the snaps in practice. The Cowboys acquired Cassel in a September 22 trade to serve as the backup to Brandon Weeden. The team sent the Bills a fifth-round pick in exchange for Cassel and a seventh-round pick, and now he will get his shot at leading the team.
The plan had been that Weeden would remain the starter until Tony Romo is healthy enough to take over the team again. The team just needed to try to stay afloat until the roster was healthy enough to compete for another NFC East title. Instead, the Cowboys lost to the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and New England Patriots in successive weeks. That puts the postseason in peril, especially with some more tough games coming up on the schedule.
Following a Week 6 bye, the Cowboys travel to play the New York Giants on October 25 and then return home to play the Seattle Seahawks on November 8. Dallas Cowboys rumors about Romo progressing in rehab still indicate that he is far off from returning, so the season has been placed on the shoulders of Matt Cassel. This is similar to how he took over for Tom Brady with the New England Patriots, with equal stakes on the line in Dallas.
No team is running away with the East, as the Giants lead the division with a 3-2 record. The Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and Philadelphia Eagles are each at 2-3 through the first five weeks. It means that any team could still win the division, even if the Giants are currently considered to be the favorites. If not for two fourth quarter mistakes in the first two weeks, the Giants could be at 5-0 to this point. As it stands, though, the team is just 3-2 and must play the Cowboys in Week 7.
Cassel has found success in the NFL before, leading the Patriots to a 10-5 record when he replaced Tom Brady. It got him a big contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he helped lead the team to a 2010 AFC West title. The task will be tougher in the NFC, especially without Dez Bryant as a primary weapon on offense. It seems that the team is willing to give him another shot, though, with the recent Dallas Cowboys rumors indicating that the team took a look at a number of different quarterbacks before acquiring him from the Buffalo Bills.
[Image Sources: Mike Stone, Jim Rogash, and Christian Petersen / Getty Images]
