Getty Cowboys QB Cooper Rush, owner Jerry Jones
Though far from ideal, Cooper Rush potentially starting at quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys is not the pearl-clutching doomsday scenario many are anticipating.
Just ask the Cowboys’ brass.
“I think he’s just outstanding at executing our offense,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on Friday, October 29 on 105.3 The Fan. “He really makes outstanding decisions. He gives us the ability to maximize our supporting cast around him. We don’t have to compromise with him. We have the full playbook with him. That’s a big deal.”
Such is the reason Rush cemented the No. 2 job this past summer, beating out the likes of Will Grier, Ben DiNucci, and Garrett Gilbert. And the reason he’s handled increasing first-string practice reps with starter Dak Prescott nursing a right calf strain which is threatening his availability for Sunday night’s road tilt at Minnesota.
A 2017 undrafted free agent, Rush has thrown three career passes as an NFL pro. The team insists it won’t panic if he’s entrusted with throwing a fourth.
“He’ll be ready to go,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy assured reporters Friday, via the Dallas Morning News. “If he’s up, he’ll be ready to go. We’ve still got some time.”
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Jones Voices Optimism on Dak
Coming out of Dallas’ Week 7 bye, Prescott returned to the practice field in a limited capacity as he attempts to gain full medical clearance ahead of Sunday’s primetime showdown in the Twin Cities.
The club, however, has reduced Prescott largely to individual drills and rehabilitation work for fear of aggravating his tricky calf strain. Whether that’s enough to play Dak on Sunday Night Football remains to be seen. But Dr. Jerry believes his status is trending in the right direction.
“Things are looking good for Dak,” Jones said Friday on 105.3 The Fan. “We really will need to see come Sunday. We’ll have to take a good look at it at the time. At the end of the day, there’s no question that he’s going to be the most [prepared] person on the planet to play, and I think he feels like he probably could manage. I think he’s aware of what’s at stake here. I think his clocks would go off in a competitive situation, that’s just my opinion. He’s looking to the trainers for real good advice.”
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Dak Sore After Thursday’s Practice
Holding court with inquisitive media, Prescott said Thursday he pushed the intensity in practice, that “I didn’t go half or 75% — I went all and I just told myself that if something was going to happen, I’m going to do it today.”
What happened was Prescott emerged from the practice feeling “sore,” McCarthy revealed Friday while cracking the door for his $160 million field general to sit out Sunday, possibly sacrificing this week for the betterment of the season.
“It’s more than just one game. We’re obviously in our seventh game, so there is a ton of football left to play,” McCarthy said Friday, per the Dallas Morning News, adding, “[Prescott’s] confident. He doesn’t waver. He wants to play, and he wants to continue to work toward that.”
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL