Amid all the good things the Cowboys have done this offseason, there’s still one glaring hole that needs addressed.
After two weeks of free agency, the Dallas Cowboys have done a good job filling holes on their roster. They’ve lost some key players, but they have been, let’s just say, selectively aggressive in replacing them. The team is certainly active and that’s something.
One area that still needs attention is the backup quarterback spot. Last season, they had two backups on the roster, Cooper Rush and Trey Lance. As of right now, neither will be returning, meaning the Cowboys will be forced to go a different direction after counting on Rush for the majority of his eight seasons with the Cowboys.
Rush’s time in Dallas was weird. He was an undrafted free agent in 2017 and relegated to third-string behind Prescott and Kellen Moore. He had a great showing in preseason and eventually took over as the second-string quarterback when the team released Moore who was then signed to the practice squad. In 2018, the Cowboys drafted Mike White in the fifth round, but he struggled and was eventually sent packing.
Rush thwarted any attempt to push him off the roster during his first three years in the league. It was his gig. Oddly enough, it was a gig that didn’t require him to do much on the field. Rush never started a game from 2017 to 2019 and only threw one pass for two yards.
In 2020, amidst a coaching change, the Cowboys went another direction at backup quarterback. Even though Prescott hadn’t missed a single game through his first four years, the team spent a little extra money and signed Andy Dalton in free agency. They also selected Ben DiNucci late in the draft, who was a favorite of new head coach Mike McCarthy.
With two new quarterbacks, Rush was released. He was signed the very next day by the New York Giants, who just so happened to have Jason Garrett as their new offensive coordinator. Rush didn’t make the team with the Giants and the Cowboys conveniently re-signed him in October after Prescott had his gruesome ankle injury and Dalton suffered a concussion. He was still stuck behind DiNucci and another backup quarterback, Garrett Gilbert. While four quarterbacks played for the Cowboys in 2020, Rush wasn’t one of them. He never played a snap that season for anyone.
Rush was back in the saddle as the team’s primary backup the following year, beating out both DiNucci and Gilbert. And this go round, he finally had his number called. From 2021 to 2024, Rush made 14 starts covering for the injured Prescott. Over the next two seasons, he was 5-1 as a starter, causing the Cowboys to re-up on him with a two-year, $5 million extension. Rush finished his time in Dallas with a 9-5 record as a starter with 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. While he was never anything flashy, he proved to be an effective backup who could hold down the fort as a short-term replacement.
But now Rush is gone. His departure doesn’t bring about much sadness for Cowboys’ fans. The Baltimore Ravens signed him to a two-year, $6.2 million deal (with incentives that could raise the value to $12 million) to hang out behind their All-Pro quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Rush signing elsewhere leaves a hole at the backup quarterback position for the Cowboys. After that incredible four-year start where he never missed a game, Dak has missed time in four of his last five seasons. In two of those seasons, he’s missed at least half the season. He’s missed a total of 24 games in five years. The Cowboys have been without Prescott 30% of the time over the last half-decade.
And it’s not likely to get much better. Prescott will be 32 when the season starts. Assuming he plays at least six games this upcoming season, he will surpass Tony Romo and have the second most starts at quarterback for the Cowboys, trailing only Troy Aikman.
Currently, Will Grier is the team’s backup. Similar to Rush, Grier gets a second chance in Dallas. He was originally signed in 2021 after DiNucci was released. He never saw action with the Cowboys and was released when the team traded for Trey Lance. Speaking of Lance, the team spent a fourth-round draft pick gambling on his potential, only to realize what the San Francisco 49ers already knew. He just doesn’t have it.
The Cowboys’ plan at backup QB is unclear. There’s not much left to choose from in free agency as 16 backups have already been signed. The best free agent backup QB left on the market is the 40-year-old Joe Flacco. That means the team’s best chance to get a viable backup is April’s draft, however, that could be a little tricky as well.
The good news is the Cowboys have some extra Day 3 picks thanks to compensatory picks, but these picks are so late in the draft that the top 10 college prospects should be gone by then. That means the Cowboys are grasping at straws to find a quality quarterback late in the draft.
It’s scary when you think about it. Nothing feels worse than when Prescott goes down and if the team doesn’t have someone giving them a fighting chance, that’s a bad spot to be in. We’ll pass judgment come summertime when it’s clearer what they’re doing, but right now they aren’t sitting in a good place when it comes to having a good backup plan at quarterback.
