Cooper Rush might be a backup quarterback, but it’s best not to doubt a player who’s been a part of a team for years.
It’s worse to doubt a passer who’s proven they can win on any given Sunday.
Rush, who’s served as Dak Prescott’s backup since joining the Dallas Cowboys out of Central Michigan in 2017, has filled in for the latter before because of injury.
Prescott suffered a broken right thumb in a dispiriting opening-day loss in 2022, thus leaving the balance of the regular season in the hands of Rush. He kept morale high, going 4-1 as a starter for an eventual postseason-bound roster.
Sitting at 3-6, the Cowboys would need a comeback for the ages to enter the NFC postseason race, but Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans isn’t rushing to conclusions on Rush.
“Cooper has been there a while and he understands how to operate the offense very efficiently,” Ryans said Thursday. “When it comes to everything, every operation that goes with the offense, the checks, getting them in the proper plays, Cooper does a great job of managing all of the pre-snap operations and he does a great job of getting the ball out, finding his playmakers, making really good decisions with the football.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on @1053thefan said they are sticking with Cooper Rush at QB because “he does give us our best chance.”
Jones added that Sunday’s loss to the Eagles “was out of character” for Rush. “He was not the Cooper Rush we know. A lot of things went wrong for us…
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 12, 2024
Prescott will miss the remainder of the regular season after undergoing hmastring surgery. Despite having former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance on the roster, the Cowboys are sticking with Rush for another week.
Rush, who’s started six games in eight seasons, completed 13 of his 23 pass attempts for 45 yards and fumbled twice in Sunday’s 34-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy acknowledged that he “didn’t get Cooper into a rhythm” and said that Dallas needs to execute quicker if it plans on setting a tone.
For his career, Rush has completed 178 of 298 passes for 1,831 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions.
Ryans, who’s looking to get Houston back to its winning ways, isn’t paying attention to a Week 10 loss against the NFC East favorites. He’s looking at the body of work, which features Rush sitting at 4-2 all-time in the starting job.
#DallasCowboys QB Cooper Rush says believes the #Cowboys playing three games in ten days (Texans 11/18, Commanders 11/24, and Giants 11/28) can be a good thing.
“It’s exciting you get to play three games rather quickly. You can rack up wins real fast that way.”#NFL pic.twitter.com/T7vDaxkm2E
— Pat Doney (@PatDoneyNBC5) November 15, 2024
“Cooper has a great record,” Ryans said. “When he’s started, he’s won a lot of games. So, we’re going in with the mindset of it being about the Texans and about us executing the right way.”
Kickoff from AT&T Stadium is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.
