It had to be done. The idea of Cooper Rush was not always as good as advertised. The former Central Michigan star has spent the bulk of his NFL career serving as Dak Prescott's backup in Dallas. While he did briefly work for the New York Giants in 2020, all 38 of his appearances and 14 starts came in a Dallas Cowboys uniform. He was 9-5 as their starter with 3,463 passing yards and 20 touchdowns.
As you can see by his body of work, Rush has been one of the better backups in the league for a while now. He has shown that he can be trusted to keep the franchise afloat whenever Prescott goes down with a major injury. Unfortunately, the glimmer of hope he possesses always seems to hold the Cowboys back in the end. In short, he was Prescott's security blanket, one that he no longer needs.
By signing a two-year deal with $12.2 million to be Lamar Jackson's backup on the Baltimore Ravens, there is a chance he could do something DeMarcus Lawrence that was not possible in Dallas, which is to compete for a Super Bowl. He will likely improve his craft with Todd Monken as his offensive coordinator, but Dallas is going to find out once and for all if Prescott can carry this team by himself.
Rush is just good enough as the Cowboys' backup to never let them be picking inside the top 10.
A new backup for Lamar: The #Ravens and former #Cowboys QB Cooper Rush have agreed to a 2-year contract worth up to $12.2M, per me and @TomPelissero.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2025
After a long stint in Dallas, Rush heads to Baltimore in a deal negotiated by @EquitySports CEO Chris Cabott. pic.twitter.com/5zPnbeH7lm
Dallas must get a new backup quarterback, but this team has chosen to ride or die with Prescott.
Cooper Rush leaving in free agency is a good thing for Dallas Cowboys
One of the biggest things I am a believer in when it comes to the NFL is if you are going to fail, you better fail fast. When you have a star prospect on your team, play him and figure out if he is or can be as good as you think he might be when you acquired him. This is not completely congruent with Prescott being a veteran and all, but we finally get to see him play without the insurance of Rush.
By removing Rush form the equation, it opens up the Cowboys' offensive attack to even greater exposure. So much will be placed on Prescott's plate now than ever before. If he goes down again, then the Cowboys are really screwed. Good... This will afford the Cowboys a better shot of getting better draft picks should things take a turn for the worse for them. Will Dallas actually be okay with it?
Well, this seems to run counter to the modus operandi under owner Jerry Jones. He wants everyone to think Dallas is capable of being competitive without actually being that. Building a team that offers great boom-or-bust potential is not what he wants. It is the illusion of choice, when it is all about control. At least with Rush out of the equation we can find out how far Prescott can take this team.
I am not expecting all that much out of Dallas this year under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer.