For the better part of the last nine months or so, the Dallas Cowboys have endeavored to convince their fans, their players and perhaps even themselves that the quarterback they traded to acquire at the end of last summer’s training camp—Trey Lance of the 49ers—was a potentially viable alternative to star starter Dak Prescott.
The Cowboys have not had to do much to prove that. Not yet, at least. But as mandatory workouts are underway, and as teams begin to prep for 2024’s training camp, it seems the rubber is hitting the road. Prescott is due a contract extension and as long as that continues to be on hold, it remains necessary for the Cowboys to sell Lance as the potential future starter—it’s the Cowboys’ only chance at leverage in the situation.
If the team wants to maintain this pretense as the Prescott situation drags on, it will mean real decisions will eventually have to be made. And if the situation runs right through the summer, that means that Lance will need to stay on as the No. 2 QB behind Prescott.
And that means a demotion for popular backup Cooper Rush. At Cowboys Wire, they foresee not just a switch from No. 2 to No. 3 on the depth chart—they predict in an early look at the 53-man roster that Rush will drop to the practice squad.
Cowboys Move on Cooper Rush Would Be Disappointing
It would be both a surprise and a disappointment if Rush wound up being one of the casualties of the Cowboys’ maneuvering on Prescott. But they’ve made Lance the priority. That’s a rough turn for Rush, who is 30 years old and has been a backup for seven seasons.
He played so well in relief of Dak Prescott when the Cowboys star was injured in 2022—he was 4-0 to begin his starting stretch—that there was legitimate conversation about whether Dallas should stick with him even when Prescott was healthy.
Rush, after all, set a Cowboys record by starting his career at 5-0 as a starter.
He was Trey Lance before Lance arrived. And while keeping a third quarterback on the practice squad is not a terrible idea—a return to old rules will allow teams to pull an emergency QB from the practice squad—it will leave Rush open to being poached by another team that needs quarterback help.
Dak Prescott Negotiations Have Been Slow Going
According to NFL insider Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Cowboys’ approach with Prescott amounts to theatrics, and the team ultimately will get serious and give their franchise QB a mega-deal. In that case, perhaps the Cowboys would move Rush back to the No. 2 role and trade Lance elsewhere.
In an appearance on ESPN, Fowler said, “[The Cowboys] are all in on re-signing Dak Prescott. They just haven’t shown it yet.” He then wrote on Twitter/X last week, “Dallas wants Prescott long term, but talks have been slow thus far. Got all summer to hash out.”
That’s all true, but if that is the case—if the Cowboys always intended to simply hand Prescott a mega-deal before the start of the 2024 season—why go through all the histrionics with Lance? The Cowboys gave up a fourth-round pick to get him last summer, did not play him a single down and have him on the books for $5.3 million this year.
Did they do all that just to gain some phantom leverage over Prescott?
Not likely. If the Cowboys are serious about using the leverage acquiring Lance gave them, they need to keep Lance, not give Prescott a new contract, and figure out something with Rush.
It could be that it is Rush who gets traded. Or cut. Or, indeed, sent o the practice squad.
