Dallas Cowboys news: Cooper Rush, Will Grier, QB questions and Micah Parsons comments

A lot is going on in Dallas after the game Sunday in a thrashing at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys were busy Monday with so much on their plate but it didn’t stop them from doubling down on a starting quarterback moving forward, signing another and squashing potential in-house beef before it could simmer. At 3-6 this season is quickly slipping away but in usual Dallas fashion there’s always something to talk about.

Cooper Rush to remain Cowboys starter moving forward

Cooper Rush made his first start since 2022 on Sunday in the Cowboys’ 34-6 loss to the Eagles. Rush did not have a great outing completing 13-of-23 passes for just 45 yards. He was replaced in the second half by Trey Lance and that didn’t go much better. Lance completed 4 of his 6 attempts for 21 yards and an interception.

Overall, it was a horrible day for Dallas quarterbacks. Surely, Dak Prescott was thinking once again that his team sucks although he was not caught on camera saying it this time. Despite the lukewarm showing, head coach Mike McCarthy has already come out to announce that Rush will remain the team's starter moving forward. McCarthy also took some of the blame for how the game unfolded on Sunday.

"I didn't get Cooper [Rush] into a rhythm, and that's something that I didn't feel good about in the game…" McCarthy said. "We need to find a better way of doing that, I need to do a better job there."

"How can you manufacture the ball getting down the field or getting it into green grass, we had a number of crossing routes that we felt good about and it just didn't happen," McCarthy elaborated on not pushing the ball downfield. "And that's the way the game goes… Ball didn't go down the field enough, that's for sure."

"Yes, Cooper Rush will be the starter this week," McCarthy stated.

Cowboys add QB Will Grier to practice squad

Given what happened on Sunday with Dallas’ two healthy QBs passing for a combined 66 yards, the team decided on Monday to sign QB Will Grier to the practice squad. Anytime you get 66 yards from two professional QBs, it’s time to bring in someone else. That doesn’t mean Grier will fare better if he’s called up but it’d be hard to do much worse.

Fans had called for Lance to hit the field even before Prescott was lost due to a hamstring injury. Those who clamored for it got what they wanted Sunday afternoon and it did not go well. He wasn’t horrible but he certainly didn’t light up the sky and change coach McCarthy’s feelings on who should be starting.

"I thought he did some good things, and definitely some things that he can learn from, it was good to get him in there," McCarthy said.

This isn’t Grier’s first time with Big D as he spent time with the team from 2021-22 and was cut before the start of the 2023 campaign. Grier was a third-round pick for the Carolina Panthers in 2019 and has also spent time with several other NFL teams. His last regular season action came during his rookie year when he went 0-2 with Carolina.

Mike McCarthy addressed Micah Parsons’ comments

Head coach Mike McCarthy is in the last year of his contract with the Cowboys with no extension in sight. Micah Parsons was asked about his coach's status heading into next season and as usual, the All-Pro edge rusher left little to the imagination. Parsons let it rip in a manner that only he can.

“You know, that’s above my pay grade about if Mike is coaching again next year… Mike can leave and go wherever he wants,” Parsons added.“ Guys I kind of feel bad for [are] guys like [veteran right guard] Zack Martin and guys who might be on their last year or on their way out. Because that's who I wanted to hold the trophy for. You want to win games and do great things with those type of legends who put in more time and work than Mike McCarthy ever did. So those are the kind of guys that I have so much sympathy and hurt for.”

McCarthy heard his star player, was asked about the comments, and came to Parsons' defense.

“That wasn’t his intent,” McCarthy said. “The other part of this is [that] I don’t want to see any of my players getting attacked from the other sides. We have so much more that we need to focus on, and that’s really what we talk about through to the game today. … Keep it about football, bear down on the things we have to improve on. These are the things you need to eliminate from your culture. Just like anything, conversations bring resolution and I think this is an example of that.”

Coach McCarthy has been around this game for a long time and dealing with the media for years. He’s well aware of how a player's or coach's words can be misconstrued, so his stepping up to eliminate any perceived animosity was a veteran move. Parsons is known for wearing his heart on his sleeve and that can come off the wrong way sometimes. McCarthy knows Parsons didn’t mean anything by his comments so it sounds like a potential controversy was avoided.