FRISCO, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones does not sound as if he has any sympathy for the Denver Broncos being forced to use practice-squad wide receiver Kendall Hinton at quarterback in Week 12 against the New Orleans Saints.
"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," Jones said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas Tuesday.
DiNucci was the Cowboys' seventh-round pick in April's 2020 NFL draft after he helped James Madison to the FCS championship game last fall.
Hinton had not played quarterback full time since 2017, when he was at Wake Forest. He was forced into action because Jeff Driskel tested positive for COVID-19 last week and the Broncos' other three quarterbacks -- Drew Lock, Brett Rypien and Blake Bortles -- were ruled out because of close contact after it was learned they were not wearing masks in a meeting.
Hinton completed 1 of 9 passes for 13 yards and was intercepted twice in the Broncos' 31-3 loss to the Saints.
DiNucci was forced into action Nov. 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles with Andy Dalton out with a concussion. He completed 21 of 40 passes for 180 yards and lost two fumbles in a 23-9 loss. The Cowboys then turned to quarterback Garrett Gilbert the following week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and in the first start of his career he completed 21 of 38 passes for 243 yards with one touchdown and one interception in a 24-19 loss.
"We have been schooled in the NFL, the teams have been schooled. You had really better pay attention to your protocols. You better manage, don't just give it lip service, just roll your eyes back and say, 'That happens to them. That doesn't happen to me,'" Jones told the station.
He added: "All teams are advised [to] do logical things relative to separation, relative to having your players available when you got a COVID challenge and do those things because it could make a difference in scoring points or make a difference in how you defend somebody. And I'm being trite. That's part of coaching. That's part of managing the game."