Getty The Seahawks could be a potential trade destination for Cowboys QB Cooper Rush.
The Seattle Seahawks are considered a “best trade” fit for a notable starting quarterback.
According to Heavy’s Matt Lombardo, the Seahawks are one of three teams — the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers being the others — considering a trade destination for the Dallas Cowboys’ Cooper Rush. The former undrafted quarterback has made waves as of late in Dallas, winning all three of his starts this season for the Cowboys.
Lombardo argues that the Seahawks don’t have a long-term solution at quarterback. Even with Geno Smith’s hot start to the season — he has completed an NFL-record 77.3 percent of his passes during his first four starts of the season — Seattle could look towards the younger Rush to lead them in the near future.
“However, Pete Carroll and the Seahawks coaching staff’s lack of belief in Drew Lock was evident this summer, and with Smith on a one-year deal, perhaps Seattle views Rush as the type of quarterback who can carry the baton and keep the Seahawks in the mix in the NFC West for years to come,” says Lombardo.
Smith Actually Ranks as One of NFL’s Top QB’s
The Seahawks have actually raced off to a solid start in the post-Russell Wilson era. Not only is Seattle 2-2 — they defeated the Wilson-led Broncos in Week 1 — Smith (1,037 passing yards, 7.9 yards per attempt, 108.1 passer rating) has outplayed his former teammate (981 passing yards, 7.5 yards per attempt and 91.2 quarterback rating) through the first four weeks of the season.
With that being said, it’s hard to envision Smith carrying over that momentum over the course of a full 17-game season. It’s worth noting that Smith had to beat out Drew Lock just to win the starting job and he hadn’t served as a full-time starting QB since the 2014 season. Furthermore, Smith will turn 33 years old during the 2023 season.
Rush Impressing as Short-Term Starter
Meanwhile, Rush is 4-0 as a starting quarterback during his career — he also led Dallas to a win over the Minnesota Vikings last season — he’s doing it at an efficient rate. The 28-year-old quarterback has completed 60.8 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and zero interceptions. Per ESPN.com, his 73.9 quarterback rating ranks fourth in the league, just ahead of Smith’s 72.4 rating.
While Dak Prescott will take over the starting job once he recovers from his broken thumb — his projected return date is in Week 6 — Rush has likely done enough during his short stint as the starter to draw many potential suitors entering the 2023 offseason.
Following the Cowboys’ third straight victory, Rush commented on whether or not he believes he has shown enough to be a starter in the NFL.
“Yeah, you always want to just go out there and put your best foot forward,” Rush said. “Winning games helps, for sure. I’ve been fortunate here with a great team. You just want to do your job when you’re in there and let things take care of themselves.”
Rush is actually in the midst of the final year of his current contract with the Cowboys. While Dallas could re-sign their backup quarterback and trade him for draft capital at some point in 2023, a more likely scenario sees Rush capitalizing on his success as the starter into a free agent deal with another NFL team.
In that type of scenario, the Seahawks could sign Rush as their potential starting quarterback, while also selecting a quarterback early in the 2023 NFL draft.