Getty Dallas Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush should have plenty of suitors when free agency begins.
The Dallas Cowboys may have more of a quarterback decision than they originally expected with Cooper Rush keeping his undefeated streak intact with the veteran going a perfect 4-0 in Dak Prescott’s absence dating back to last season. Fox Sports’ Skip Bayless believes the Cowboys should ride the winning streak and keep Rush as the team’s QB1.
“The Cowboys OBVIOUSLY ALREADY HAVE A QB CONTROVERSY,” Bayless said in a series of October 2 tweets. “Four times Cooper Rush has played better than Dak has since the ’21 opener at Tampa. If Dak is handed back the job now, his bar has been raised. He’d better raise his level of play or he’ll hear chants of Coo-per, Coo-per.”
“…If Dak is allowed to start next Sunday at Rams, he will get no injury pass. If he’s cleared to go, he’d better GO.”
McCarthy: ‘Dak’s Our Starter’
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones entertained idea Cooper Rush could play well enough, team could win enough to force decision at QB when Dak Prescott able to return. “Wouldn’t it be something if you had a dilemma as to which way to go?” You’d want that controversy? “Of course I would.”
Despite the push from some fans and analysts, all signs point to Prescott once again taking over the offense as soon as he is cleared to play. Despite owner Jerry Jones opening the door for a potential quarterback controversy, head coach Mike McCarthy made it clear that Prescott is the team’s QB1.
“When you look at the whole thing, particularly the starter, it’s about winning and that’s all we really care about,” McCarthy remarked during a September 23 press conference. “But there’s no quarterback controversy. …Dak’s our starter.”
McCarthy’s response was regarding Jones’ previous remarks about welcoming a quarterback controversy if Rush exceeded expectations. Jones referenced Prescott overtaking Tony Romo during the 2016 season as a potential blueprint.
“Of course I would [welcome a quarterback controversy], of course,” Jones told reporters on September 22. “That means we won. If he comes in here and plays as well as Prescott played [his rookie season], [if] Rush played that well over these next games ahead, I’d walk to New York to get that.”
The Cowboys Are in Danger of Losing Rush
If Dak is ready to go next week, should he start over Cooper Rush? @RealSkipBayless says hold up:
“These four games have showed me a consistently higher level of performance than I’ve seen in any game Dak has played on that opening Thursday night in Tampa two years ago.”
Prescott’s $160 million contract shows the Cowboys’ long-term commitment to their franchise quarterback. Dallas has had success with Rush at quarterback, but the offense is not exactly thriving in Prescott’s absence.
The Cowboys are averaging just 17.8 points per game this season which ranks 28th in the NFL. Dallas’ 312.8 total yards per contest is not much better at 26th in the league.
Prescott did struggle in his lone outing this season but so did the entire Cowboys offense. If Prescott is indeed fully healthy, the quarterback’s track record shows that the star should be able to push the team’s offense into even further heights, especially given the stellar performance of the defense.
Regardless of how things play out in Dallas, Rush is due for a massive raise this offseason from his current $1 million salary. Rush is slated to hit free agency in 2023, and Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported the veteran is confident he has shown enough to become a starter somewhere.
“I spoke to him [Rush] after the game. He said he thinks he’s proven he can be a starter in the NFL elsewhere and he’s ignoring any noise about a potential controversy in Dallas – even if some if it is coming from Jerry Jones himself,” Florio noted during the October 2 edition of NBC’s “Football Night in America.”