Mike McCarthy: Cowboys Will Start Garrett Gilbert or Cooper Rush vs. Steelers

The Ben DiNucci era may already be over.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters Wednesday that he's planning to elevate Garrett Gilbert or Cooper Rush into the starting quarterback job for Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at AT&T Stadium.

"With the opponent we are playing, we need more experience," McCarthy said.

Dak Prescott is out for the season, and Andy Dalton suffered a concussion in Dallas' 25-3 loss to the Washington Football Team in Week 7. That put the onus on DiNucci as the team prepared to play the Philadelphia Eagles. He finished 21-of-40 for 180 yards in a 23-9 defeat.

The Cowboys placed Dalton on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday, which forced McCarthy to once again figure out the best alternative.

Demoting DiNucci doesn't come as a surprise after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was among those criticizing his Week 8 performance:

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport then reported Dallas was planning to give Gilbert and Rush more practice reps, with an eye toward selecting one of the two.

Citing experience for the decision comes across as an attempt to let down DiNucci lightly. Gilbert and Rush have been in the NFL longer, yet they've attempted nine combined passes during the regular season. Neither of the two has a start to his name.

Gilbert is listed as the backup on the Cowboys' unofficial depth chart, but making this a competition could give the nod to Rush. He spent the past three seasons with the team, potentially providing him with a decisive edge.