The Dallas Cowboys have their franchise quarterback on the roster, with Dak Prescott under contract through the 2028 season. The situation regarding their backup quarterbacks has been murky, with Joe Milton and Sam Howell not inspiring confidence. They could look for a developmental prospect to turn into their long-term backup.
Cade Klubnik Could Be a Late-Round Draft Option for the Cowboys
The final rounds of the NFL Draft are the perfect place to select developmental prospects. Teams are extremely unlikely to find difference-makers on Saturday, but they can bet on certain traits displayed by players and hope to unlock their full potential with professional coaching.
The Cowboys could look to the draft to find a new developmental quarterback. Prescott, who has a massive dead cap of $174.9 million in 2026 following his 2024 extension, isn’t going anywhere. For Dallas, it’s about getting the right backup in case Dak is down, since he played a full season in just two of the past six years.
A recent seven-round mock draft by ESPN’s Matt Miller puts the Cowboys in position to bolster their quarterback group. Miller mocked Clemson’s Cade Klubnik as a fifth-round selection for Dallas, who use their compensatory pick, No. 180, to add Klubnik.
Klubnik would be a useful backup for Dallas. He played 49 games during his college football career, all with Clemson, giving him extended playing time against strong opponents. He did a good job protecting the football during his four years with the Tigers, recording just 24 interceptions while throwing 73 touchdowns.
Even with good stats, Klubnik was never seriously considered worthy of an early pick. His process is slow, and he doesn’t perform well under pressure. While athletic, he is not good enough off-platform or out of structure to succeed at a high rate in the NFL, and this is a big problem when he’s not a quarterback who deals well with pressure.
His profile is very different from what the Cowboys have with Joe Milton, whom they acquired in a trade with the New England Patriots. Milton, who saw action in four games during the 2025 season, is known for a strong arm, but the rest of his game is extremely raw.
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Klubnik’s addition would give Jerry Jones’ team a chance to develop a new long-term backup, as they did with Cooper Rush, who played in Dallas from 2017 to 2024. He won’t be expected to start, but if he’s needed, he would do just enough to avoid a large number of turnovers.
Klubnik ended the season ranked as No. 67 in our PFSN’s CFB QB Impact Metrics, earning a 79.2 grade.
