Happy Monday Cowboys Nation, with free agency in full swing, a move that may have gone unnoticed is that the Dallas Cowboys lost an eight-year-player that was very solid for this team in his role when needed.
Two years ago, Cooper Rush signed a two-year, $6 million deal with the Cowboys, and his contract was up, and he is now a member of the Baltimore Ravens, signing him to a two-year, $12.2 million deal.
Circling back to this with Cooper Rush now officially out of Dallas ⬇️ https://t.co/o6pls5ClZH
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) March 16, 2025
Rush played from Week 10-17 after Prescott suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in 2024, and before that went 1-0 in 2021 and then 4-and-1 in 2022 when he was made to fill in for other missed games by Dak Prescott.
At the beginning of the 2024 season, the Cowboys gave Prescott a contract extension that made him the highest-paid player in the league. COO Stephen Jones said that keeping Rush around after that just wasn’t feasible for the team due to the costs.
What Is Next?
So that begs the question: What does Dallas do at the backup quarterback spot in Dallas?
The departure of Rush leaves the Cowboys’ quarterback depth chart a mystery. Trey Lance is also going to hit the market, and clearly the 4th round pick they gave up for him did not work.
Will Grier is the only other guy on the roster, so as of now, he is the only backup.
The 2025 NFL Draft presents an opportunity for Dallas to address the quarterback room, and potentially their future at the position, even as Prescott, 32 in July, has guaranteed money on his deal that runs through 2028.
The Cowboys will clearly need to either get another guy that is on the market, or maybe they will wait until after camp and teams start dumping guys, but my guess is they draft a guy this year.
Whether that guy will be the next in line for Dak, who knows.
The #Cowboys will be choosing between Will Grier and potentially a quarterback they draft as the backup to Dak Prescott, who has missed the majority of games twice in the last five seasons.
Rush has been a valuable backup, compiling a 9-5 record as the starter in Dallas.
Rush… https://t.co/uDZjdRFkMu
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdNFL) March 16, 2025
Looking Ahead
If the Cowboys want to get a guy in the draft, I would look for them to pick someone around maybe the 6th round.
A couple of names that could still be there include Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke, both of whom led their team to the College Football Playoff. Louisville’s Tyler Shough is another possible late Day 3 pick.
The Cowboys could draft a quarterback earlier, too, though there’s a risk in using a higher draft pick on a player who is an expected backup.
The No. 44 overall pick might be a reach for Texas product Quinn Ewers, I am not as high on him like others are, but it is sometimes hard to judge how a college guy QB will translate to the NFL.
As we look at it, I hope this team has a plan because honestly, Dak has been hurt a lot over the late few seasons, and if they draft a young guy, so be it.
I wouldn’t have given Dak the deal for as much as they gave him, but you have to have a quarterback in this league. We know this, but they clearly overpaid, but I still would have signed him.
Dak Prescott’s backup could end up being someone the Cowboys draft in the later rounds next month. Dallas doesn’t plan to spend much on a backup QB https://t.co/26KNnoeJor
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) March 16, 2025
You still have CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons. I just hope they get this offensive line fixed because if not, it is going to be hard to do anything on offense.
They need another guy outside and please, for all that is good, draft a running back. Miles Sanders and Williams is not going to cut it against the defenses they play.
I am looking forward to the draft, and I wish Cooper Rush nothing but the best. The same goes for Trey Lance.
Here is to hoping they won’t even need a backup QB in 2025.