The Dallas Cowboys have a locked-in starting quarterback in Dak Prescott, a toolsy backup with a rocket launcher of an arm in Joe Milton, and a third-string quarterback with starting experience in Sam Howell.

That hasn’t stopped ESPN draft expert Matt Miller from anticipating Jerry Jones will bring a fourth name into the mix.

In the fifth round of Miller’s 7-round 2026 NFL Mock Draft, the Cowboys use one of their two picks on Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik. This would be quite a fall from grace for Klubnik, who was once regarded as a first-round talent before a tough senior season led to a sharp decline in his stock.

Dallas may be set at quarterback, but if Jones and Will McClay are really entranced by Klubnik’s talent, the Cowboys might be willing to burn a late-round pick on someone who could become a long-term backup behind Prescott without the volatility Milton forces teams to deal with.

Klubnik was a former 5-star recruit who came to Clemson with oodles of hype, but managed to thoroughly disappoint in his first two seasons. Things clicked in his junior year, as he threw 35 touchdown passes, but that number fell back to 16 this past season.

Klubnik is not only a smaller quarterback, but he has issues when he is forced off some predetermined reads and doesn’t have an arm that is going to wow NFL scouts. With all of that, why would Dallas consider taking a shot on him?

The accuracy is solid on throws to all levels of the field, he has athleticism worth developing, and he is better at moving in the pocket than many of the top prospects in this class. In the right offense, the lack of a ballistic arm can be overcome.

The Cowboys would likely still lean on Milton as the backup over Howell and Klubnik if everything else is equal due to the upside his arm provides, but with Howell showing some suspect accuracy when forced into action, they may find a new long-term backup in Klubnik if the two are pitted against one another.

Dallas will need to use as many picks as possible on improving their defense, but there’s no such thing in this league as having too many quarterbacks. Klubnik has enough to work with to warrant a selection at some point in the Draft.

On paper, the move feels unnecessary. Prescott remains the clear franchise face, Milton offers the kind of rare arm talent that can win games in a pinch, and Howell has already shown he can handle NFL snaps. Yet Miller’s mock has the Cowboys reaching for Klubnik anyway—precisely the kind of “just in case” luxury pick that Jerry Jones has built a reputation on. The analytical case is straightforward: Klubnik’s pocket presence and across-the-field accuracy give him a higher floor than the flashier but less consistent Milton, while his athleticism offers developmental upside that could make him a reliable long-term insurance policy.

Still, the timing and the cost sting. A fifth-round selection is valuable real estate on a team that must address defensive shortcomings if it hopes to contend. Devoting a pick to yet another quarterback—especially one whose stock has cratered after a disappointing senior year—will test the patience of a fan base already weary of quarterback-adjacent drama. The numbers Klubnik posted in college (10,123 yards and 73 touchdowns) once made him a household name; now they feel like ancient history next to the questions about his size, processing under pressure, and arm strength.

In the end, this is classic Cowboys draft philosophy in action: talent over need, upside over safety net, and the quiet belief that depth at the most important position is never a bad bet. Whether that belief will be celebrated or cursed by the time training camp rolls around remains the only real suspense left in this particular mock-draft saga.