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Backup QB An Intriguing Battle To Watch For Dallas Cowboys This Offseason

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Dustin Vaughan Dallas Cowboys

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If I asked you which Dallas Cowboys quarterback is under the most pressure heading into the 2015 season, you’d automatically think of Tony Romo. Most people would. However, when digging deeper into the depth chart at quarterback, you’d find a guy named Dustin Vaughan — the third-string signal-caller on the roster. That’s the QB with the most to lose before the 2015 season.

Vaughan, an undrafted free agent in 2014, will be under the microscope this offseason. The Cowboys carried three quarterbacks on the roster in 2014, but whether they do so again will likely be determined by the way Vaughan plays in camp. At 6-foot-5, he has the size and talent to play in the NFL, but this offseason is make-or-break for his tenure with the Cowboys.

If Vaughan plays well throughout OTAs and training camp, it’ll be hard to keep him off the roster. With Brandon Weeden penciled in as Romo’s backup, Vaughan will have every opportunity to beat him out for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart. Ideally, he’ll will show enough potential to bump Weeden from his backup role, giving the Cowboys a young quarterback to groom as Romo’s eventual successor.

Given what he showed in 2014 and throughout his career, one can assume Weeden isn’t a candidate to run the ship once Romo retires. In fact, I’m not even sure he’s worth keeping as a backup. Not to mention he’s also 31 years old and hasn’t developed since being the No. 22 overall pick on 2012. It may not seem like a priority, but sorting out the backup quarterback situation is important ahead of the regular season.

Obviously the coaches see enough in Vaughan, given the fact that they not only kept him on the roster in 2014, but the front office also passed on selecting a quarterback in the 2015 draft. That’s no guarantee that Vaughan makes the team, but it helps his case greatly. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him backing up Romo in 2015, with the hope of him being the successor in the future.

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