Cooper Rush passed for a modest 235 yards and a TD in Dallas’ 20-17 win over Cincinnati in Week 2. Naturally, Cowboys’ owner and GM Jerry Jones is creating a quarterback controversy.
“Of course I would. Of course. That means we’d have won,” Jones said. “If he comes in there and plays as well as (Dak) Prescott played, Rush? Played that well over these next games ahead? I’d walk to New York to get that.”
Prescott, 53-33 as the Cowboys starter since taking over for Tony Romo in 2016, is out through at least early October with a thumb injury.
Prescott famously assumed the QB1 job with America’s Team as a rookie fourth-round pick after Romo went down to injury in the preseason, and led the ‘Boys to a 13-3 record that year.
That showing would signal the end to Romo’s playing career, though the former QB is doing quite well as the lead broadcast analyst alongside Jim Nantz on CBS.
Could Rush, who has all of two career starts, be the next Dallas backup to push out the incumbent?
“Well, I don’t know that,” Jones said. “You can’t find on record where I said I thought Dak Prescott could do it when he stepped in and had the chance to do that. But he did it.”
Rush was an undrafted free agent in 2017, and has only seen action in 12 regular-season games, with just three attempts in his first three seasons.
He’ll get the start Monday against the New York Giants, who are off to a surprising 2-0 start in 2022.
How he does on Monday night will go a long way to determining how quickly the Cowboys push Prescott to get back.
Jones had said when Prescott first went down to injury, in the fourth quarter of the season-opening 19-3 loss to Tampa Bay, that he hoped the QB would be in line for a return next week against Washington.
“Well, of course we want Dak to be here next week,” Jones said. “That’s the thing. You do. But Dak and I want Rush to lead the team to a victory here and get another win and get another win. That’s the only way to look at it. Looking back when Dak was playing instead of Tony, it was game by game. It wasn’t the long look we had after two months to look back. It was actually play by play, almost series by series. So, do I think that it’s possible for Rush to come in here and play at a level to win games the way Prescott did when he took over for Romo? Yes, I do. Yes, I do. I certainly think that’s possible.”
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Chris Graham
