Getty Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stands on the field prior to Super Bowl 51.
With Dak Prescott sidelined, the Dallas Cowboys are turning over the offense to backup quarterback Cooper Rush, at least for Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported the Cowboys opted not to make a quarterback trade and instead will lean on Rush as the team’s temporary QB1. It will be interesting to see if the team has a change of heart if Rush struggles in his expanded opportunity.
“As of now, Cowboys do not plan to pursue significant trade for a QB barring [unforeseen] change, per source,” Fowler tweeted on September 13. “Cowboys won’t take any possibility completely off table, but with Dak Prescott’s improved timeline and Cooper Rush’s familiarity with offense, team feels it can be patient.”
McCarthy on Cowboys Offense With Rush: ‘We Don’t Feel Like There’s Really Any Limitations’
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy noted that the team has no plans to have “any limitations” with the offensive attack under Rush. McCarthy cited offensive coordinator Kellen Moore’s familiarity with Rush as a major reason for confidence. It is a relationship that predates McCarthy’s taking over as head coach.
“As far as Cooper Rush, we don’t feel like there’s really any limitations on what we want to do,” McCarthy emphasized during a September 15 press conference. “He’s as rehearsed in this offense as anybody. Him and Kellen, they go back to prior to when I got here and that’s really the way we go about it. And it’s no different with the left guard, the left tackle — that’s all part of the game-plan process.”
Jones Shot Down a Possible QB Deal: ‘We Don’t Have Any Potential Trade Pending’
Despite teasing a potential quarterback move, the Cowboys have been quiet since Prescott’s hand surgery. Dallas could still add a quarterback to the team’s practice squad but is not expected to sign a player to compete to be the temporary starter.
Will Grier is likely to be promoted from the practice squad to become the team’s backup quarterback in Prescott’s absence. It will be worth watching to see if Dallas gives Grier the opportunity to compete for the QB1 role if Rush underwhelms.
“The people that are ready to play quarterback for us are the ones that played all preseason: Cooper Rush and [Will] Grier,” Jones explained during a September 13, 2022 interview on 105.3 The Fan’s “Shan and RJ,” “They had a real competition. Grier got slowed there right at the end with a hamstring issue, but he should be through that now. So, we’ve gotten a lot of good snaps for those guys, both in our practice sessions as well as all the preseason games for the most part.
“Those guys know the offense well, have had a lot of reps in it and consequently give us our best shot. It’s unlikely since we don’t have any potential trade pending — not pending, but in the mill — it’s unlikely that you’d have a veteran quarterback that could get back in here and be ready to play as well as those guys can play, even if you thought you might have a talent advantage.”