#Cowboys sign Garrett Gilbert after brutal Dak Prescott injury

Prescott’s season-ending ankle injury elevated Andy Dalton to starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys and left a big experience void behind him. So, the Cowboys poached Gilbert off the Browns practice squad to join their quarterbacks room.

The Cowboys are Gilbert’s seventh NFL team. He was a sixth-round pick of the Rams in 2014 but only has attempted six passes in his career. Of his six career games played, five came in relief for the Browns last season.

After being selected for the top honor of Mr. Texas Football as a high-schooler in 2008, Gilbert spent three seasons at the University of Texas before transferring to Southern Methodist and rewriting its passing record book in the run-and-shoot offense.

Prescott suffered a fractured and dislocated ankle during Sunday’s come-from-behind win against the Giants, when his foot snapped backwards as he was dragged to the turf by safety Logan Ryan.

With Dalton, the former Bengals starter atop the depth chart, the Cowboys were left with rookie seventh-round pick Ben DiNucci as the backup. DiNucci played his college ball at James Madison.

Under the new NFL practice squad rules for 2020, teams can protect up to four players per week from being stolen every Tuesday — and the Browns kept protecting Gilbert. But all players are fair game on Mondays, and the Cowboys acted by giving Gilbert a spot on their 53-man active roster.

Gilbert was one of the top quarterbacks in the now-defunct Alliance of American Football in 2019, when he led the league with a 99.1 passer rating and 2,152 yards.