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Even before Cam Newton vaulted to the top of the free-agent quarterback market, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sounded uninterested in seeking outside help at the sport’s most crucial spot.
Jones instead believes that Cooper Rush set a “pretty high bar” for an alternative — perhaps Newton — to clear as the presumptive No. 2 behind Dak Prescott.
“I think that you’ve got to assume that — with his knowledge of what we’re doing offensively, what we’re doing with the existing personnel that we’re going to be opening with – you’ve got to assume you’ve got a pretty high bar here, in terms of what’s the most effective way to play if you didn’t have Dak now,” Jones said Tuesday, via the official Cowboys website.
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Sign up for the Heavy on Cowboys Newsletter!Confidence in Cooper
Maybe it’s not all Jerry-speak. Maybe Rush has a real shot of securing permanent backup duties. Maybe his boss actually is as assured as he claims to be. Because this isn’t the first time.
“We can do everything. We can do our complete portfolio as far as our offense is concerned with Cooper Rush,” Jones said prior to Dallas’ preseason finale. “He’s a little different, but still we can do everything. That’s good. I’ve seen the time when the backup quarterback didn’t allow you to do everything you wanted to do. That’s really good there. We’ll see how this game checks out with the competition here and then we’ll make a decision this weekend.”
With previous QB2 experience, having played for the Cowboys from 2017-19 and returned in 2020, Rush survived Tuesday’s final round of roster cuts as the 53-man roster was formed. Among the cuts: Garrett Gilbert and Ben DiNucci, both of whom vanquished by Rush during the preseason.
“He really showed a lot of playmaking ability,” Jones recently said, per USA Today’s Jori Epstein. “We want him to get the ball out quick, we want him to have success and mainly do the kinds of things that dare I say it – don’t turn the ball over, keep us in position to make a play.
“You’ve heard from our coordinator: He can call any play with Cooper Rush that he calls with Dak Prescott. That’s very important and rare. … [Rush] has shown he can run the complete offense.”
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Dallas ‘Exploring’ Newton Signing
Once the NFL MVP, Newton went one-and-done in New England following a rocky 2020 campaign as the team’s starter. The 32-year-old lost an offseason competition with first-round rookie Mac Jones and was deemed expendable by Bill Belichick, prompting his surprising pink slip.
Shortly after his release, multiple reports indicated the Cowboys would at least express “due diligence” in Newton and “begin exploring” his potential acquisition — Rush’s potential replacement.
“My understanding is the Dallas Cowboys will do their due diligence in reviewing QB Cameron Newton’s newfound availability, per sources,” league insider Josina Anderson tweeted earlier Tuesday. “Will look at it all across the board with additional talent hitting the market, including today.”
“The Cowboys will “begin exploring Cam Newton” as a potential backup to Dak Prescott, per source,” ESPN’s Jordan Schultz echoed. “Dallas just cut two QBs in Garrett Gilbert and Ben DiNucci. Prescott’s current backup is 27-year-old Cooper Rush, who has just one career completion.”
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL