Were the Cincinnati Bengals in on Dallas Cowboys free agent quarterback Cooper Rush?
Backup quarterback has been one of those spots a bit lost in the conversation for the Bengals this offseason, as it was generally assumed the team would keep continuity and bring back Brandon Allen again.
But during a Q&A responding to questions about Rush returning to the Dallas Cowboys, Nick Eatman of the Cowboys’ official website offered a pretty interesting nugget:
Nick: From the sound of things, the Cowboys got pretty lucky that he returned. He was getting close to taking another offer with either the Raiders or Bengals. But I don’t think he ever really wanted to leave. And sometimes, just comfort alone is hard to beat. Cooper Rush is a solid backup that is a proven winner.
Rush, 29, has attempted 212 passes since entering the league in 2017 and been a valuable backup for the Cowboys.
Any potential interest by the Bengals would have made sense here, regardless of whether coaches wanted a camp body to pair with Allen or to replace their own free agent. The coaches got a close look at Rush last season when he led the Dak Prescott-less Cowboys to a win over the Bengals in Week 2.
If this has real traction, it’s safe to presume the Bengals will be mildly active on backup quarterbacks in the coming days and weeks. The team currently only has Jake Browning under contract behind Joe Burrow.
