Carter Is Released by Cowboys

In a stunning move the team wouldn’t explain, the Dallas Cowboys cut Quincy Carter on Wednesday and handed the starting quarterback’s job to 40-year-old Vinny Testaverde.

Only four days after he started camp in Oxnard as the No. 1 quarterback, Carter was suddenly gone from a team he led to 10 victories and back to the playoffs in Coach Bill Parcells’ first season.

Owner Jerry Jones and Parcells were vague about why they released Carter, who started every game in 2003 and was the opening-game starter each of his three seasons.

“We’ve made a decision to move in a different direction,” Jones said. “We’re not going to get in a lot of detail on the process.”

Jones wouldn’t specifically answer questions about reports that Carter had failed a drug test or say whether the move was based on non-football issues.

“I think that we should leave it at it just was not a difficult decision and not get into a definition of what it was about,” Jones said.

Numerous media outlets, all citing unidentified NFL sources, reported that Carter had failed a drug test. The NFL had no comment.

Carter told the Dallas Morning-News that he was stunned by the team’s decision and denied a report on FoxSports.com that cocaine was involved.

“I’m shocked. I’m at a loss for words,” Carter said. “The one thing I know and the people who have been around me all my life know is that cocaine has never been an issue for me. It never will be. And it’s disturbing that a rumor like that would come out.... That cocaine rumor is ridiculous.”

Parcells said this week that Carter had “a leg up” at quarterback.

After the first camp workout Saturday, Carter said he was confident of remaining the starter and didn’t consider himself in an open competition.

Parcells wouldn’t say why there was such a drastic change in direction.

“I just couldn’t keep him in the plans,” Parcells said. “I’m saddened by this because I’ve got 18 months invested in it ... two off-season programs and a regular season and a playoff game.”

Asked why the decision wasn’t made earlier, Parcells said, “We only make decisions based on the information we have.”

Drew Henson, a top prospect out of Michigan who spent the last three years playing baseball in the New York Yankees’ minor league system, will be Testaverde’s backup.

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Cornerback Daylon McCutcheon, a former USC standout, signed a five-year contract extension with Cleveland.... San Francisco quarterback Tim Rattay will be held out of practice until next week because an inflamed right forearm.

Buffalo tackle Mike Williams, who was fined by the team for missing a training-camp session, returned to practice. Running back Willis McGahee, the Bills’ first-round draft pick last year who sat out the 2003 season after tearing knee ligaments in Miami’s Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State in January 2003, had his first full contact in 19 months.

Tampa Bay defensive end Simeon Rice practiced for the first time since an irregular heartbeat caused him to miss four days of training camp.... Philadelphia free safety Brian Dawkins will miss a week of camp after injuring his left knee.