Mike McCarthy 'Very Excited' About Cowboys' QBs amid Cam Newton Rumors

The Dallas Cowboys have been linked to Cam Newton as a potential backup quarterback for Dak Prescott in recent days after Newton was released by the New England Patriots. 

But head coach Mike McCarthy seemed to rule out the possibility on Thursday. 

"I think he has a ton of football left," he told reporters regarding Newton. "But we're very excited about the [quarterback] group that we have."

Heading into the 2021 season, the Cowboys will go with Cooper Rush as Prescott's backup after he beat out Garrett Gilbert and Ben DiNucci. 

"I just think he's shown that he can run the complete offense," owner and general manager Jerry Jones told 105.3 The Fan about Rush earlier this week (h/t Todd Archer of ESPN). "Credit to him. He had some tough competition. Those guys didn't cut him any slack. He's had a lot of reps. All of our quarterbacks had because of the absence of Dak. All of those things make us feel real comfortable here."

The 27-year-old Rush has appeared in five total NFL games since 2017 for the Cowboys, completing one of his three pass attempts for two yards. 

There's an argument to be made that an experienced backup would perhaps make more sense for Dallas after Prescott suffered a gruesome compound fracture and right ankle dislocation last season that required two surgeries and a long recovery period. Hence, the Newton chatter. 

Granted, Newton didn't exactly impress for the Patriots last season, throwing for 2,657 yards, eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 65.8 percent of his passes and leading New England to a 7-8 record in his starts. He also rushed for 592 yards and 12 scores.

And he was beat out for the Patriots starting job by rookie Mac Jones, another sign that the 32-year-old is perhaps in decline. 

But as a backup quarterback for a Cowboys team with postseason aspirations, he'd bring a huge edge in experience over Rush. At this stage, however, the Cowboys appear to be comfortable with their quarterback depth chart.