While some teams across the NFL are staging quarterback battles to decide their starter for the 2024 season, the Dallas Cowboys will have a heated competition for the backup role this preseason. Dak Prescott is the unchallenged starter, but between Cooper Rush and Trey Lance, the Cowboys have a big decision to make on the No. 2 on the depth chart.
Rush has played his role admirably since joining the team in 2017. In 2022, the former unsigned free agent out of Central Michigan played an important role when Prescott exited the Cowboys’ Week 1 game versus Tampa Bay. The QB1’s thumb fracture pushed Rush into the starting job and he led the team to a 4-2 start. The start put Dallas in a position to finish the season with a 12-5 record.
Despite Rush’s consistency and the year left on his two-year, $6 million contract, there’s still a chance that the team opts to put Lance in the No. 2 spot. If that happens, Dallas could attempt to trade the veteran backup. Mike McCarthy praised Lance at length this offseason for his “mastery” of the offense, but he hasn’t had the reps necessary to overtake Rush – yet. Those reps could be coming during training camp and the preseason.
‘Jury still out on Lance’
Cowboys insiders Nick Eatman and Kurt Daniels weighed in this week on Rush’s future and what Dallas might be thinking regarding the battle for the second quarterback job. The team kept three quarterbacks on the roster last season, but they could save themselves some money if they find a trading partner for either the veteran or the former first-rounder before the regular season starts.
“The jury is still out on Lance right now,” Eatman writes for DallasCowboys.com. “He just hasn’t had a lot of opportunities and there is a reason for that as well. So to me, I’m not rushing (no pun intended) to make any moves right now. If Lance doesn’t play well in the preseason, then you obviously keep Rush where he is. If Lance does light it up, the Cowboys might be looking to trade Rush or even Lance, depending on what they can.”
“I doubt the team would want to give up a known quantity in Rush,” Daniels says. “He’s proven he’s a solid backup, and there aren’t a lot of those out there, so trading one away seems risky. But you never know. If Lance clearly wins the No. 2 job, the Cowboys might have to think hard about keeping Rush on the active roster, especially when they could possibly get something helpful in return. Regardless, we probably won’t find out one way or the other until the regular season is here.”
Over his five-year stint with Dallas, which has been off and on, Rush has had 143 completions on 236 attempts for 1,619 passing yards, eight touchdowns, five interceptions, 11 sacks and six net rushing yards. Though he has more experience in the league, Lance’s playing style translates to Prescott’s more easily, which could be a factor in what the team chooses to do with their quarterbacks after the preseason.
