Ben DiNucci faces difficult task in first game as Dallas Cowboys starter
This week's Sunday Night Football matchup pits the Dallas Cowboys against the Philadelphia Eagles. It looks like it will be rookie quarterback Ben DiNucci's first career NFL start with Andy Dalton in concussion protocol. DiNucci is not exactly stepping into the ideal situation for a new starter — especially a new rookie starter. The Dallas […]
This week's Sunday Night Football matchup pits the Dallas Cowboys against the Philadelphia Eagles. It looks like it will be rookie quarterback Ben DiNucci's first career NFL start with Andy Dalton in concussion protocol.
DiNucci is not exactly stepping into the ideal situation for a new starter — especially a new rookie starter. The Dallas Cowboys offensive line is depleted, the run game has been non-existent, and the offense has been anything but its explosive self since Dak Prescott went down in week five.
With Andy Dalton throwing the ball, the Cowboys offense mustered just 13 total points — 10 against the Arizona Cardinals in week six and three versus the Washington Football Team in week seven (albeit, Dalton did not finish week seven's contest). The touchdown against the Cardinals came late in the game when it was already out of hand, while the Cowboys offense was shut down in a big way by Washington's stout defensive front.
Dalton is an experienced quarterback and is regarded as one of the better backups in the league, but there is a big drop-off from Prescott to the former Bengals passer. It doesn't help that Dalton lacks the mobility needed to have a chance behind a poor line.
DiNucci entered week seven's matchup against Washington after Dalton exited following a dirty hit by Washington linebacker Jon Bostic. The former James Madison signal-caller tossed a nice ball to Amari Cooper on his first NFL pass attempt. The play went for 32-yards and moved the chains for the Cowboys on second and long — one of just 12 first downs on the day for Dallas.
That was about the only highlight for the rookie, though. Washington's front of Chase Young, Montez Sweat, and company lived in the backfield and made life difficult for the Cowboys offensive line and DiNucci. DiNucci himself struggled to get the ball out quickly and looked unsure of where to go with the football.
The Eagles are studying DiNucci's college tape to prepare for Sunday's matchup.
Obviously, it is challenging to truly evaluate DiNucci's week seven performance. The Cowboys were down 19 points by the time that he entered the game and the offensive line stood no chance to protect DiNucci against all of the talent that Washington has in the front seven.
The Eagles know that. Therefore, Philadelphia is reviewing DiNucci's college film to prepare for the Sunday Night Football showdown. Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said that the team has watched some James Madison tape to "get a feel" for the Cowboys quarterback.
"We were on that tape (Monday) watching some of his college film, just getting a feel for him more as an athlete and some of the throws that he made and things like that."
DiNucci was a productive quarterback at James Madison. The Pennsylvania native led the FCS with a 70.9 percent completion percentage while totaling 3,441 yards and 29 touchdowns through the air. After beginning his career at Pittsburgh, DiNucci earned first-team AFCA All-American honors and led the Dukes to a FCS Championship appearance in 2019.
Side note: Sunday's matchup will feature former FCS quarterbacks starting for each team. That is pretty rare.
The Cowboys offense has the chance to be much more fun with DiNucci, and not Dalton, behind center moving forward.
It is unfair to expect the Cowboys offense to be anywhere as explosive as it was at the beginning of the season. There is a steep drop from Prescott to either Dalton or DiNucci. Still, it is going to be at least a little interesting to see if the offense can be any more productive with a more mobile quarterback behind this banged up offensive line.
DiNucci was far from a statue during his career on the college level. He rushed for 569 yards and seven touchdowns during his final season, averaging nearly five yards each time he carried the rock. Whether it was taking off and picking up positive yards or just moving around in the pocket to set up a throw, DiNucci showed some impressive mobility time and time again.
That has to be a breath of fresh air for Cowboys fans.
Dalton is a fine quarterback and one of the better backup options in football, but he lacks the athleticism and mobility to operate behind such an injured offensive line at this stage of his career. DiNucci has the ability to at least move around and potentially keep plays alive at a much better rate than Dalton.
The Dallas Cowboys season, for all intents and purposes, is practically over. The team has looked like a disaster for the last two weeks, players have called out coaches, and three defenders were sent packing earlier this week. Where the Cowboys draft is the biggest topic right now, it seems.
It makes sense to let Ben DiNucci ride out the remainder of the season as the man behind center. That will allow DiNucci to grow as a player while giving the coaching staff a real sample size to evaluate him moving forward. Dalton will likely be gone once the offseason arrives but DiNucci has the potential to be a solid backup behind Prescott.
Sunday night will be the first start of DiNucci's NFL career. Let's see what the kid's got.
Featured image via Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
