With Cowboys, He’s No. 2 With a Bullet : Football: Despite his success last season, the role of backup quarterback Steve Beuerlein is to give Dallas great depth.

Today, Steve Beuerlein is the backup quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. Tomorrow, he’ll be the same. And the next day and the next and the next.

There was probably no hotter property around the NFL during the off-season than Beuerlein. General managers came a callin’, offering to keep the Cowboys from having one of those ugly, destructive quarterback controversies.

Owner Jerry Jones said thanks, but no thanks. He’d take that risk.

So Beuerlein, a graduate of Servite High School, remains No. 2 on the depth chart behind Troy Aikman.

“I was traded here to be the backup, even though I hate that word,” Beuerlein said. “I don’t look at myself as a backup. I look at myself as a starter.”

OK, apparently status, like life, is what you make of it.

Two years ago, Beuerlein was a holdout from the Raiders’ camp, which brought the wrath of strongman Al Davis. He finally signed, then spent the entire season watching from the sidelines--out of uniform.

Status: Dismal.

A year ago, he was back in the fold, with a chance to regain his starting spot--or so he thought. Instead, he was shipped off to Dallas.

Status: Improving.

Then, Aikman went down with a knee injury. Beuerlein stepped in and led the Cowboys to four consecutive victories and a playoff berth. As an encore, he helped them past the Chicago Bears in the first round.

Status: Indispensable.

Aikman will be the starter when the Cowboys open the season against the Washington Redskins, the defending Super Bowl champions. Beuerlein will be in the wings, waiting--just like last season.

“Troy is No. 1 and Steve is 1-A,” Coach Jimmy Johnson has said. “They’re both winners.”

So, a backup in practice and a starter in pretense.

“My role is to be the guy who comes in if something happens and leads the team to victory,” Beuerlein said. “I’m comfortable with that.”

So are the Cowboys.

They picked up Beuerlein from the Raiders last August for a song. He had been a starter in 1989, but then became unwanted goods after his holdout during the summer of 1990.

He signed a two-year deal in September, but was not allowed to suit up the entire season. He showed up for camp early the next season, but never got much of an opportunity to win his job back.

By late August, he was gone. He cost the Cowboys only a fourth-round draft choice, and the move paid off in playoff shares.

“I’m not vindicative or vengeful, but it’s difficult to forget how I was treated,” Beuerlein said. “I can’t justify how (Davis) handled the situation.”

Beuerlein and Davis have crossed paths once since the trade. Last week, the Cowboys and Raiders held a joint three-day training session in Austin.

It was a volatile get-together. At one point, Cowboy defensive tackle Russell Maryland and Raider offensive lineman Steve Wisniewski squared off. The next day, they went at it again.

But that was nothing compared to the cold war between Beuerlein and Davis.

“We were within a few feet of each other several times,” Beuerlein said. “He wasn’t going out of his way to talk to me and I wasn’t about to go out of my way to talk to him.”

There would have been a lot to say, at least on Beuerlein’s end. He could have filled Davis in on the highlights from last season.

Beuerlein got his chance Nov. 24, after Aikman was hurt during the third quarter against the Redskins. The previous season, the Cowboys’ playoffs hopes ended when Aikman was injured.

This time, though, they had Beuerlein to turn to, instead of Babe Laufenberg.

Beuerlein, who hadn’t played in a regular season game since December, 1989, preserved the 24-21 victory over the Redskins. He suffered a severely sprained ankle during that game, but came back the next week to complete 14 of 25 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown in a 20-10 victory over Pittsburgh.

The Cowboys, 6-5 when Beuerlein took over, took off. He directed them to four consecutive victories, plus the Washington save, to get them into the playoffs.

In the first round against Chicago, he completed nine of 18 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown in a 17-13 victory--the Cowboys’ first playoff victory since 1982.

“It was like a dream come true,” Beuerlein said. “All of a sudden, I was in the spotlight with a real national team like the Cowboys. We were in the playoffs and doing well. It did a lot to restore my confidence.”

The Detroit Lions brought him back to earth, a little. Beuerlein didn’t even make it to halftime of the conference semifinal. He was yanked in favor of Aikman, who didn’t fare any better in the 38-6 defeat.

Almost as soon as the season ended, quarterback-needy teams began making inquiries.

Kansas City even offered four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Albert Lewis. But the Cowboys, who were in need of a quality defensive back, turned them down.

“I don’t see an offer ever coming that is going to match the value that Beuerlein has to this team at this time,” Jones said at the time.

Beuerlein waited throughout the off-season, trying not to worry about where he was going to be playing in the summer. He hoped there would be a deal so he could start, but he wasn’t counting on it.

“I knew it was a possibility,” Beuerlein said. “I kept hearing about several teams who were trying to make a trade. I was prepared for it. The Chiefs would have been ideal. But I also knew the Cowboys’ position. They like the situation.”

That situation could have been a sticky one had Johnson not nipped things in the bud. He announced there was no quarterback controversy, as Aikman was the starter.

The media, and Beuerlein, have gone along.

“There was no adjustment on my part,” Beuerlein said. “I want to play. I want to be a starter. But this opportunity has been such a positive one that it would be tough to leave.”

Status: Unknown.