FRISCO, Texas - When the Cowboys added longtime NFL veteran Jon Kitna to become the Cowboys' new quarterbacks coach, the immediate reaction for most was how he could benefit Dak Prescott.
Obviously, that was the main reasoning in having the 16-year NFL vet to now run the QB room.
But Kitna's knowledge will span far beyond just Prescott. In fact, who better to help a couple of young backup quarterbacks than Kitna, who spent several of his NFL years as the No. 2 quarterback, including 2009-11 beyond Tony Romo.
"I know what that is like," Kitna said of being the backup. "You have to find out how to be ready without getting a lot of snaps. In some ways, it's even harder to prepare and focus than being the starter. So it's my job to help them with that process."
Unlike the starting position, the Cowboys have some uncertainties about the No. 2 spot. Cooper Rush has been Dak's backup for two years but might have some strong competition this year from Mike White, who spent all of last year on the roster but didn't get any snaps.
"I watched every snap he had in the preseason," Kitna said of White. "The same with Coop the last couple of years. That's just what we look at. For me, it's more of a clean slate. I just want to come in and help those guys and help them progress in their careers. If you get the best out of them, that's going to be good for us at an organization."
Kitna reiterated several times that figuring out the backup quarterback at this point is very premature.
"Right now, we're just trying to be as good as we can be. We'll figure out depth chart stuff later," Kitna said. "Right now, they're out here competing to be the best quarterback they can be. We don't want them thinking about end results. We want them to think about the process and going with the right place with the football. Just progress every day. Honestly, in my mind, I'm not looking at who the backup is right now. Just how I can get them better and help them in their journey as quarterbacks in the NFL."
