Most noteworthy of the five Dallas Cowboys transactions announced Saturday is the official promotion of practice-squad quarterback Cooper Rush to the active roster for Sunday’s home game against Pittsburgh.
In addition to Rush’s elevation, the Cowboys also called up running back Sewo Olonilua, cornerback Saivion Smith and punter Hunter Niswander, and placed P Chris Jones on injured reserve.
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Cooper’s expected advancement to the 53-man squad comes after the longtime Dak Prescott backup handled the majority of second-string practice reps this week. He will serve as the No. 2 QB versus the Steelers with Garrett Gilbert reportedly drawing the starting nod and rookie Ben DiNucci parked on the bench.
Rush, of course, was added by Dallas in 2017 as an undrafted free agent. He served as Prescott’s understudy for three seasons, and aside from three pass attempts as a rookie, never appeared in a regular-season game.
He re-upped with the Cowboys this offseason via his restricted free agent tender, worth $2.13 million for 2020. He was considered a shoo-in for backup duties until the club drafted DiNucci (No. 231 overall) and inked ex-longtime Bengals starter Andy Dalton, an indisputable upgrade at the position.
Rush was waived shortly after Dalton’s signing. The 26-year-old quickly landed on his feet, reuniting with fired Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, who became the Giants’ offensive coordinator. Rush was released at final cuts and re-signed to New York’s taxi squad, from which he was chopped on Sept. 29.
The Cowboys expedited a reunion following Prescott’s season-ending ankle injury and Dalton’s concussion. Rush was targeted due to his familiarity with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, providing a plug-and-play break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option — appropriate for this season.
“He’s been a guy that obviously I’ve known and knowing his system has really helped,” Rush told reporters Thursday. “You can kind of jump right in, and 90 percent is the same. Little tweaks in there and you can quickly translate if you ever need it. So it’s really easy to get up to speed with anything that’s new, for sure.”
Unless otherwise designated, Rush will revert back to the practice squad Monday. Dalton, who was moved to the reserve/COVID-19 list, is tentatively anticipated to regain his starting job once the Cowboys return from their Week 10 bye.
It’s likely that Dallas will keep a signal-caller on the taxi squad for the remainder of the year and possible they outright release one — Gilbert, Rush, or DiNucci — upon Dalton’s return under center.
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Cowboys Elevate QB to Active Roster for Steelers Game