Jerry Jones claims Broncos were no more challenged at QB than Cowboys were

[Rowdy]

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Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is showing zero sympathy to the Broncos after they were forced to play practice squad wide receiver Kendall Hinton at quarterback because the rest of their quarterbacks were in quarantine for possible COVID-19 exposure.

Jones claimed today on 105.3 The Fan that the Cowboys were in a similar situation when starting quarterback Dak Prescott and backup Andy Dalton both got hurt, forcing them to go with third-string rookie Ben DiNucci.

“I don’t know that Denver had any more challenge than we did with DiNucci or young quarterbacks we’ve had,” Jones said, via Jori Epstein of USA Today.

But that comparison just isn’t valid. Both Hinton and DiNucci were once Power 5 starting quarterbacks (Hinton at Wake Forest, DiNucci at Pitt) who lost their starting jobs. But after that, their paths diverged significantly. Hinton moved to wide receiver after losing his starting job. DiNucci transferred to James Madison, where he flourished, starting at quarterback for two years and being named an FCS All-American.

The Cowboys drafted DiNucci in the seventh round and have had him practicing at quarterback ever since. That’s not remotely the same thing as the Broncos telling Hinton, who has never practiced at quarterback in the NFL, that he’s going to start in 24 hours.

The Broncos were in a unique situation on Sunday, a situation no other team has encountered in modern NFL history. Other teams have been forced to use rookie third-string quarterbacks who weren’t prepared to start, but no other team has been forced to use a rookie practice-squad wide receiver like the Broncos on Sunday.