Cowboys to start Kellen Moore vs. Bills in Week 16

Citing a desire to evaluate his team’s inexperienced career backup, Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett told an area radio station on Monday morning that Kellen Moore will be the team’s starter against the Buffalo Bills this Sunday.

Garrett explained to 105.3 The Fan, “Just the evaluation of how [Moore] played in the ballgame and where we want to be. Right now offensively we felt like he did some good things for us. Unfortunately the turnovers that he made weren’t good, but hopefully he’ll learn from those experiences and give us a good chance to move the ball and score points for us.”

Moore saw his first snaps for the Cowboys on Saturday night, coming on in the second quarter for an ineffective Matt Cassel. The Boise State standout, undrafted in 2012, is the fourth quarterback to run the offense for Dallas this season, behind Tony Romo, Brandon Weeden and Cassel.

Against the Jets, a 19-16 loss that officially saw the Cowboys eliminated from playoff contention, Moore was 15-for-25 for 158 yards. He had one touchdown, to Dez Bryant, but also three interceptions.

The pass attempts were the first of Moore’s career, and likewise the start against Buffalo will be the first of his career. Moore was with the Detroit Lions from 2012-14 but never played in a regular season game; he signed with Dallas this year.

Garrett said he wants to evaluate Moore, but at this point, with a 4-10 record and holding the fifth overall pick in the draft if it were held this week, the Cowboys could also believe there’s no harm in getting the highest pick they can, which will come with their worst possible record.