Does Cooper Rush prove to be the Cowboys’ backup quarterback beyond this season?

After Dak Prescott was lost for the season, there was curiosity about how the Dallas Cowboys would perform at the quarterback position. Cooper Rush was named the starter, but Trey Lance got 15 snaps in the first game without Prescott, throwing six passes and running three times in a blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. A few weeks later, Lance had two snaps, totaling one rush for minus-3 yards.

Since then it has been exclusively the Cooper Rush Show.

For those who want to see Lance instead of Rush, the logic is that Rush is a 31-year-old career backup whose ceiling doesn’t go higher. Lance is 24, was acquired for a fourth-round pick and holds some mystery. Both quarterbacks will be free agents after this season.

But what if, between the two quarterbacks, Rush is the one with more legitimate interest going forward — especially when it comes to the Cowboys’ roster beyond 2024?

The starting quarterback spot in Dallas is set in stone after the Cowboys signed Prescott to a record four-year extension on the first Sunday of the regular season. Prescott is signed through 2028, with a potential option after the 2027 season. He has a no-trade clause during his deal. For the next three years, at a minimum, Prescott is planted as the Cowboys’ quarterback.

They are tasked with finding a suitable backup for Prescott in 2025 and beyond. This week, head coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer were asked what traits would be in their ideal backup quarterback.

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McCarthy: “I think the No. 1 thing I’ve always looked (for) in a backup is can we continue to play the way we’ve always played? That’s something that Cooper gives us because when you have to change so much, then it takes away from the training of the others. … For the backup quarterback, it’s important to go in and just plug and play, because the reality is that when his opportunity comes, there’s a good chance that it can be in the flow of a game. You come not to have the full week to get him ready to go in for the first time.”

Schottenheimer: “It kind of depends on who your starter is. That is my experience. If you have a young starter, you want more of a veteran type. A guy like Cooper would be great for any room, but he has so much knowledge and he’s been around so many systems and stuff. If you have a veteran, it doesn’t have to be. Sometimes you care about the next guy. … It depends, but can they run the offense? It is no. 1. Should the system be changed? Can they handle the volume? Can they handle not getting reps during the week? Are they good communicators?”

Cooper Rush has started 12 games for Dallas since 2021. (Bob Donnan / Imagn Images)

Not having to change the offense much if the starter goes down is at the top of the list. Prescott’s mobility earlier in his career may create a skewed image, but speed and elusiveness are not hallmarks of the 31-year-old starter. Rush mirrors Prescott’s athleticism and style of play more than Lance.

Schottenheimer makes a sharp point regarding the age factor of the backup. Prescott isn’t a young quarterback, so Dallas doesn’t need a veteran to serve in the mentor role and be a stabilizing force and leader through the NFL’s crazy winds. Prescott is already that guy. His leadership is arguably Prescott’s greatest attribute. But Prescott is also at the start of a new four-year deal, so there’s little logic in starting to groom the guy who will one day take the reins from him. That might be something the Cowboys want from their backup quarterback in 2027 or even 2026, but there’s no pressing need for it right now.

Still, there’s a case to be made that Rush fits the bill as an ideal backup in Dallas. He’s been here since 2017, when he signed as an undrafted free agent. He has a good relationship with Prescott and the respect of his teammates in the locker room. The reception also likes him – he gives them a cheap and safe option.

Rush is a smart player that has worked well in multiple systems. He had a big primetime win in Minnesota in 2021, went 4-1 as a starter in 2022 and is 3-3 through six starts this season. These instances of filling in for shorter durations are better examples of what the Cowboys need from a backup quarterback than the current situation of playing the second half of an entire season.

Rush isn’t perfect, but with a $60 million guy already in the quarterback room, the Cowboys can’t afford to house an expensive backup as well. It’s nice to have former starters as backups like Sam Darnold, Joe Flacco, Jacoby Brissett and Andy Dalton, but it helps to have the starters on rookie deals like JJ McCarthy, Anthony Richardson, Drake Maye and Bryce Young, respectively.

Rush has a cap hit of just under $3 million this season, according to Spotrac. As long as the numbers for his next deal stay in the wide range, it’s a good deal for what he gives the Cowboys, especially if he’s able to eliminate his weekly unforced fumbles.

Lance’s future in Dallas after 2024 was always a bit confusing. If he performed well in his limited opportunities and the Cowboys didn’t sign Prescott to a long-term deal and wavered in their faith in Prescott as a franchise man, there might be intrigue if Lance were to get the baton. But Lance has been a disappointment at every step, from his 2024 training camp to the 2024 preseason and the limited opportunities he’s otherwise been given.

That’s part of the reason the Cowboys had no choice but to fully commit to Rush after Prescott went down. The coaches and front office can’t preach a message of prioritizing winning to the locker room while not playing the best quarterback around. That’s why Rush continues to be the starter as the Cowboys enter Week 16, still mathematically alive for the playoffs, however improbable that may be.

The biggest cloud hanging over the outlook for the backup quarterback post 2024 is the mystery of who the head coach and offensive coaching staff will be in 2025. But regardless of who the head coach is in 2025, Rush’s play since taking over shows why he should be a front-runner to retain a role that he has made his own throughout his career.

(Top photo of Rush and Jalen Tolbert: Grant Halverson/Getty Images)