Cowboys not done at quarterback?

by Rick Gosselin

The Cowboys may have filled their hole at backup quarterback with the trade acquisition of Jon Kitna, but I don't think they are out of the quarterback market yet.

At the NFL combine in Indianapolis last month, the Cowboys talked to a handful of quarterback prospects in the 2009 draft, including Tom Brandstater of Fresno State and Rudy Carpenter of Arizona State. That leads me to believe the Cowboys may claim a quarterback in the second day of the draft as a long-term developmental project, much as they invested time in developing Tony Romo.

Carpenter was a four-year starter and Brandstater a three-year starter. Both played in conventional-type offenses.

"I was 70 percent under center, 30 percent from the (shot) gun," Brandstater said. "We ran a pro-style offense at Fresno State and I believe that's to my advantage. The way they play the game in the NFL is very similar to the way I played it in college. So I don't have to re-teach myself anything major. It's something I'm used to. There will be some tweaks here and there to get me into an NFL mentality."