Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush received a new NFL opportunity this week.
According to the NFL transaction wire, Rush tried out for the Arizona Cardinals on Tuesday. Arizona held quarterback tryouts this week after placing new starter Gardner Minshew II on injured reserve.
In addition to Rush, veteran Trevor Siemian also worked out for the Cardinals on Tuesday.
Rush spent parts of eight seasons over two stints with the Cowboys from 2017-24. The quarterback appeared in 38 games and went 9-5 as a starter.
In his 38 contests with Dallas, Rush posted a 60.7% completion percentage and averaged 6.4 yards per attempt. He also had 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Since 2025, the former undrafted free agent has played for the Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons. He went 0-4 while starting for those two clubs.
The Falcons released Rush on October 19 after Michael Peni Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa returned healthy this season.
Former Cowboys QB Cooper Rush Lands Tryout With Cardinals
Unfortunately for Rush, he didn’t have much of a choice but to play through an injury with the Falcons.
Penix wasn’t healthy to begin this season, and Tagovailoa sustained an oblique injury before Week 1. Rush was dealing with back spasms before the season opener, but he started the contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Rush also started in Week 2. The Falcons weren’t competitive, losing the two games by a combined 41 points.
In the two games, the veteran quarterback completed only 56.4% of his passes with one touchdown and four interceptions. He averaged 5.9 yards per attempt.
Perhaps healthy now, though, Rush could have a chance at a job with the Cardinals.
Arizona has already signed two quarterbacks this week. But they could be searching for more depth after recently losing two signal-callers. Rush would provide that and quite a bit of experience too.
Rush has appeared in 44 NFL games over nearly a decade in the league.
Cardinals’ Gardner Minshew II Lands on Injured Reserve
Minshew time in Arizona was short lived.
On Tuesday, the Cardinals placed Minshew on IR with an elbow injury. AZCardinals.com’s Darren Urban wrote reports indicate the veteran quarterback tore his right UCL.
Minshew led Arizona to a comeback win against the Cowboys just a little more than a week ago. That came in relief. Minshew lost his only start with the Cardinals this past Sunday 17-3 to the Seattle Seahawks.
Arizona is expected to move forward with rookie Carson Beck as its starting quarterback. The Cardinals signed veteran Josh Johnson and rookie Joey Aguilar for depth behind Beck.
In addition to Minshew, the Cardinals recently lost Jacoby Brissett, who the team traded to the Baltimore Ravens. Arizona benched Brissett in favor of Minshew during their matchup versus the Cowboys in Week 8.
Rush could not only provide additional depth for Arizona but mentor the Cardinals rookie signal-caller. Granted, Minshew could fill that role as well remaining with the team despite being on IR.
In addition to the Cowboys, Ravens and Falcons, Rush had a brief stint with the New York Giants. The quarterback was on New York’s practice squad early in the 2020 season before the Cowboys brought him back in November of that campaign.
Ex-Cowboys QB Cooper Rush Gets Opportunity With NFC Foe