Cooper Rush won his only start as a quarterback in the NFL. He led the Cowboys to a victory a season ago on the road against Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings. He will now be tasked with leading the team for, at minimum, the next four games while Dak Prescott recovers from thumb surgery.
Rush threw the ball 40 times in week 8 last year, completing 24 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns. It is a small sample size, and the offense surrounding him was one of the best in all of football. I would be lying if I sat here and told you I think Rush is going to step in and be super productive; I mean, he went undrafted for a reason. I think he can win football games as he did a year ago, but asking him to try and keep them afloat until Prescott returns might be too much.
I made a post yesterday about the lack of rushing attempts for Ezekiel Elliott when he only had 10 for 52 yards, averaging over five yards a carry. There is no reason they shouldn’t have kept feeding him the football, and they might not have a choice for the next few weeks. The problem is teams now know that with the lack of firepower on the outside and no Prescott, they have almost no option but to run. Rush may get Michael Gallup back in week three but will probably be on a snap count.
Rush took the practice field yesterday for the first time as QB1 for Dallas. Many starters spoke about him, and Zack Martin said he keeps to himself a little but has that fire. “When he comes to the huddle, he commands it,” he said. I want to believe in Rush so bad, and if it were last year, I would after he got a win on the road. I just don’t see him being able to do much with the offense without Gallup and the others.
Maybe it was a lousy week, and not playing together in the preseason had something to do with it, but I don’t believe much will change, I hope I’m wrong.
Slow the game down for Rush; Zeke said it himself yesterday, “we just got to commit to it. “We got to wear on the defense,” Elliott said. He doesn’t know what the number needs to be, but he thinks only getting ten carries is not enough.
Prescott did not go on IR, leaving the door ajar for him to be rushed back to keep the fans interested. (Not a good idea). Whether it is four, six, or eight games that we see Rush, I would be happy if he won two out of the following four games. I am not sure he can beat the Bengals even at home; Joe Burrow looked terrible last week, but I’m not sure Dallas will score enough points. The defense will feast on their bad offensive line but see that as a loss.
The Giants and Washington, the two games that follow, are a coin flip. I am not worried about Daniel Jones; Saquon Barkley will probably run all over the Dallas defense. Carson Wentz does not put any fear into my eyes, but they are something the Cowboys are not, and that is healthy. Does Prescott return for the Rams game or at the Eagles? We will have to wait and see and hope Rush can put something together for the time Prescott is out.