Cooper Rush’s days as starter in Dallas could be numbered

"The Dallas Cowboys are riding a four-game winning streak and meet the Eagles on Sunday night at Philadelphia. Could there be a change at quarterback?"

Two of the hotter teams in the league clash in the City of Brotherly Love on Sunday night as the 5-0 Philadelphia Eagles take on the surging Dallas Cowboys. Mike McCarthy’s club has won four straight games since being stifled by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 19-3, on Sunday night at home in Week 1.

At the end of the setback, there was concern regarding Cowboys’ starting quarterback Dak Prescott. He would be diagnosed with a right thumb injury and hasn’t seen the field since. Backup Cooper Rush has stepped in and held down the fort.

But things may be ready to change as Prescott is expected to start throwing. “Can he zip the ball out there and make the throw?” said Cowboy’ owner Jerry Jones (via 105.3 The Fan and Mark Lane of WFAA). “We’ll start working on that Wednesday real hard. He’s certainly doing the kinds of things medically that you want to do. That is the indication. The X-rays, all of that, have (shown) tremendous improvement. But can he spin the ball?

“We know Dak Prescott can play, and we know he will be ready to play the minute he gets the chance to go into the game. Can he spin the ball? We’ll see.”

Cooper Rush is still just filling in for Dak Prescott

Of course, Rush has done a very solid job running the offense. He has not turned over the football, hitting on 61.0 percent of his passes for 834 yards and four touchdowns. He fumbled twice against the Rams last week but Dallas did not lose the ball. All told, the Cowboys have played turnover-free football in each of their last three games.

So will McCarthy and Jones make the decision to start Prescott on Monday night? Once again, it could come down to something very simple. “Well, let’s just put it like this,” said Jones to Lane. “He’s got to spin the ball. He’s got to really spin the ball…

“Just think about it: Put your hand down on something like what would be equivalent of a football. Try to do that without thumb strength. Try to spin that ball. Try to direct that ball without thumb strength if you really have a broken thumb. Can’t do it. But if you have strength and can grip the ball, then you can spin the ball.”

The Cowboys have won eight straight games vs. the NFC East — six with Prescott in 2021 and two with Rush this season. Dallas has limited each of their five opponents to 19 points or less. Micah Parsons leads a defensive unit that has already racked up 20 sacks. And this group and not the quarterback position may be under more pressure against the Eagles and the NFL’s second-ranked offensive unit on Sunday night.