Cowboys' Jones: Broncos' QB situation no worse than ours

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones didn't feel sorry for the Denver Broncos when they needed to use a practice-squad wide receiver at quarterback in Week 12.

Kendall Hinton, a former Wake Forest quarterback, was pressed into action on an emergency basis after all four of the Broncos' regulars were ruled ineligible to face the New Orleans Saints because of COVID-19 concerns.

"You take risk when you put all the quarterbacks in the same room," Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. "If you were worried about those things, you'd spread them out a little bit. You can save one. I don't know that Denver had any more of a challenge than we've had with (Ben) DiNucci or with the young quarterbacks that we've had."

DiNucci, a seventh-round rookie from James Madison, started one game earlier this season following injuries to Dak Prescott and Andy Dalton. He failed to lead a single touchdown drive against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8, and after the game, Jones said the start was "frankly more than he could handle."

The Broncos learned a day before their game that Drew Lock, Brett Rypien, and Blake Bortles wouldn't be allowed to play because the NFL deemed them high-risk close contacts of Jeff Driskel, who tested positive.

Hinton went 1-for-9 with two interceptions against the Saints. The undrafted rookie transitioned to wide receiver as a senior in college.

"We have been schooled in the NFL; these teams have been schooled," Jones said. "You had really better pay attention to your (COVID-19) protocols. You better manage - don't just give it lip service, roll your eyes back, and say, 'That happens to them. It doesn't happen to me.'"