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Just two weeks after Dak Prescott suffered a gruesome season-ending ankle injury, backup quarterback Andy Dalton was knocked out of Sunday’s Cowboys game vs. Washington with a concussion after a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit by Jon Bostic, for which Bostic was ejected.

That thrust Ben DiNucci into the spotlight. DiNucci, 23, is the Cowboys’ third-string quarterback who took over after Dalton was forced out of the game.

The Cowboys selected DiNucci in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft, No. 231 overall. DiNucci was drafted out of James Madison, starting his final two college seasons there after initially playing at the University of Pittsburgh.

“He’s going to have a lot more opportunities than he’s had the whole time he’s been here combined just next week,” Cowboys Coach Mike McCarthy told reporters after Prescott was hurt. “He needs to perform. He’s got to make sure his preparation is in tune. And there’s just some things you do from the second seat that goes on throughout the league. This is a big step. This is a big opportunity for Ben DiNucci.”

DiNucci made his NFL debut in the Cowboys’ loss to the Cardinals last Monday, taking three snaps.

“Ben’s a competitor,” James Madison coach Curt Cignetti recently told the Washington Post. “I know he’s excited about the potential opportunity. He’s one play away, and he’ll do everything he can to put himself in the best position through preparation. He’s an extremely confident guy. If it comes to that, where he ends up playing, he’s going to go on the field with a lot of confidence, and he’ll be ready.”

The Cowboys recently signed Garrett Gilbert off the Browns’ practice squad, but he was inactive for Sunday’s game.

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