Is there more diversity in the NFL when it comes to coaches?
USA TODAY Sports’ Tom Schad reveals the latest findings from our annual NFL Coaches Project.
The Dallas Cowboys were dealt a blow in their 27-21 Week 9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a hamstring injury that caused him to miss the fourth quarter of the loss.
Initially it was hoped that the injury was not too serious and that Prescott would be able to return to action after a few weeks on the sidelines.
Instead, Prescott discovered he needed season-ending surgery to repair a hamstring avulsion – an injury that occurs when part of the hamstring tendon tears off the bone to which it is connected.
As a result, the Cowboys will have to rely on their quarterback depth to get through the remainder of the 2024 NFL season. While Trey Lance, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, is perhaps the best-known of the team’s backup quarterbacks, Cooper Rush will get the first chance to replace Prescott.
Who is Cooper Rush?
Rush is a 30-year-old quarterback who is in his eighth NFL season. He has spent almost his entire career with the Cowboys after signing with them following the 2017 NFL draft. He had a brief five-month stop with the New York Giants in 2020, but ultimately returned to Dallas during the season after injuries to Prescott and then-backup quarterback Andy Dalton.
Rush has remained in Dallas since then, earning the team’s backup quarterback job for the 2021 NFL season. He will make his eighth career start for the team when the Cowboys take on the Houston Texans on “Monday Night Football” in week 11 of the 2024 NFL season.
Cooper Rush record
Rush posted a 5-2 record in his first seven starts with the Cowboys. He won his first five starts with Dallas, becoming the 14th quarterback in NFL history and the first-ever Cowboys quarterback to start his career with a 5–0 record.
Here is the complete list of the 14 quarterbacks who accomplished this feat:
- Daryle Lamonica, 1963-1967
- Mike Livingston, 1969-1972
- Mike Kruczek, 1976
- Dieter Brock, 1985
- Mike Tomczak, 1986-1987
- Jeff Hostetler, 1988-1991
- Daunte Culpepper, 1999
- Kurt Warner, 1999
- Marc Bulger, 2002
- Ben Roethlisberger, 2004-05
- Jimmy Garoppolo 2016-17
- Patrick Mahomes, 2017-18
- Kyle Allen, 2018-19
- Cooper Rush, 2021-2022
Cooper Rush Stats
Entering Week 11 of the 2024 NFL season, Rush has thrown 298 career passes and posted decent, if unspectacular, numbers. Below you can see his full stats:
- Comp. %: 59.7
- Passing yards: 1,831
- Passing TDs: 9
- INTs: 6
- Judgement: 79.1
- Recruit/attempt: 6.1
- Wears: 37
- Hurrying yards: 13
- Rushed TDs: 0
Some may be surprised by Rush’s average of 0.4 yards per carry for his career, but it should be noted that he has occasionally been used to kneel in Cowboys wins in place of Prescott. That, plus his lack of mobility at the higher end, explains his lack of rushing production.
Most of Rush’s passing production has come since the start of the 2021 NFL season. He attempted just three passes in his first four seasons, all of which came during his rookie year in 2017.
Where did Cooper Rush go to college?
Rush attended Central Michigan from 2012 to 2016. He was a four-year starter – taking over for another four-year starter, Ryan Radcliffe – for the Chippewas and broke several records during his time at the school.
Rush owns Central Michigan’s single-season passing yards record, as he recorded 3,848 yards during his penultimate year with the program in 2015. He also owns the school’s passing yards and passing touchdowns record. Both came in a 2014 game against Western Kentucky, where he threw for 493 yards and seven touchdowns.
Rush finished his college career just 11 yards shy of tying Dan LeFevour’s school record of 12,905 passing yards. He also finished second to LeFevour in touchdown passes, edging out the 2010 sixth-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears by a 102-90 margin overall.
Rush earned second-team All-MAC honors during his junior year and was named to the conference’s third team for 2016.
Cooper Rush college statistics
Rush made 49 consecutive starts to finish his college career at Central Michigan. Below is a breakdown of his career statistics from the four years he was the team’s primary signal caller.
- Comp. %: 62
- Passing yards: 12,894
- Passing TDs: 90
- INTs: 55
- Judgement: 139.1
- Recruit/attempt: 7.8
Rush also recorded five rushing touchdowns with the Chippewas. However, because college football considers sacks as negative rushing yards, he racked up negative 108 rushing yards during his four-year college career.
Has Cooper Rush been drafted?
Rush declared for the 2017 NFL Draft but was not among the 10 quarterbacks selected. He signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent, beating out Luke McCown for the third string quarterback role behind Prescott and Kellen Moore.
From there, Rush gradually worked his way up the depth chart to become Dallas’ backup. Now he gets a chance to be their starter for a while with Prescott out of action.
Cowboys QB Depth Chart
The Cowboys currently have three healthy quarterbacks on their active roster and practice squad. They are as follows:
- Cooper Rush
- Trey Lance
- Will Grier
Lance was a highly touted draft pick for whom the Cowboys traded a fourth-round pick before the 2023 NFL season. The North Dakota State product hasn’t shown much in his NFL career thus far, but he could threaten Rush’s position at the top of the depth chart if the veteran struggles as much as he did against the Philadelphia Eagles. Rush completed 13 of 23 passes for just 45 yards in that game.
Grier spent the 2021-2022 seasons with the Cowboys and recently signed to the team’s practice squad. The 29-year-old has played for six different NFL teams since being selected in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, so he doesn’t plan to challenge for playing time barring injuries to both Rush and Lance.
Cooper Rush contract details
Rush is in the final year of a two-year, $5 million deal he signed with Dallas in March 2023, according to Spotrac.com. The Cowboys quarterback will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, so his performance could be key in assessing his value as a free agent.
