Dallas Cowboys Rumors: Colin Kaepernick, Geno Smith Could Be In The Team’s Sights As They Look For Steady Hand Behind Dak Prescott


The Dallas Cowboys are in the market for a quarterback with Tony Romo out for a big chunk of the season, and rumors indicate that they may be taking a hard look at Colin Kaepernick or Geno Smith as a bit of an insurance policy to back up rookie Dak Prescott.

Prescott has looked sensational in the preseason and easily moved into the starting role after Romo went down with a back injury, but the Cowboys are reportedly looking for more help to ensure that don’t have a repeat of last year’s quarterback woes. The Cowboys saw firsthand the barren landscape of backup quarterbacks in the NFL when Romo went down in 2015, with abysmal performances from Brandon Weeden, Matt Cassel, and Kellen Moore.

The Cowboys are likely to add a veteran before opening day, and Colin Kaepernick has emerged as one of the most likely options. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback appears to be at the end of his tenure with the team, with reports from Fox Sports insider Jay Glazer that the team is planning to cut Kaepernick loose by the end of the season, possibly even before the season starts.

The report has nothing to do with Kaepernick’s decision to sit out the national anthem as a political protest, Glazer said, but instead reflects his fall from grace as a starting quarterback.

“Regardless of politics or not, he has a very, very big uphill battle to make this team,” Glazer said (via Pro Football Talk). “I’d be shocked if he’s on the 49ers by the time this season ends. It has nothing to do with political views whatsoever. He lost a ton of weight this offseason, had three surgeries, couldn’t work out, lost that double threat, that size-speed ratio. No political views, he just hasn’t been effective. He’s regressing as a player. I’d be shocked if he’s on this roster by the end of this year. He may not be on it in the next two weeks.”

Washington Post writer Mark Maske noted that the Dallas Cowboys are among the contenders to pick up Colin Kaepernick if he is indeed cut loose, but Dallas appears to be kicking the tires on a few other veteran backups. They were initially rumored to be looking into trading for Cleveland Browns backup Josh McCown, but now appear to have moved on and are considering some other options.

Those include Geno Smith, the former New York Jets starter who could be on the bubble to make the team after Ryan Fitzpatrick signed back on as the starter and Bryce Petty appears to have jumped Smith on the depth chart. The Cowboys could have another option in Mark Sanchez, who himself is likely headed to the free agency heap after Trevor Siemian surpassed him on the roster.

The rumors connecting the Dallas Cowboys to Colin Kaepernick may make both the most sense and the least sense at the same time. Among all the potential options, Kaepernick is the one with the most success in the NFL and would be ready to step into a starting role immediately if Prescott were to stumble or run into an injury. But Kaepernick would also bring an unwanted distraction for the Cowboys, with growing controversy over his refusal to stand for the national anthem.

Whatever route the team takes, the rumors surrounding the Dallas Cowboys and their quarterback quandary are likely to clear up very soon. The start of the season is now a little more than a week away, and time is running out for a veteran to learn the system and be ready in time to serve as the backup for Week 1.

[Photo by Christian Peterson/Getty Images]

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