The Cowboys are re-signing Rush to a two-year contract Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
What it means:
Rush proved his worth as a backup last season by leading Dallas' offense to win four of his five early-season starts with Dak Prescott injured, Prescott is the Cowboys' clear starter, but after having proven his proficiency in the team's system, Rush could be worth rostering in deeper fantasy formats that start multiple quarterbacks.
Rush completed 58.0 percent of his passes for 1,051 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions over nine games in 2022.
What it means:
The 29-year-old quarterback saw his most action yet in an NFL season, and Rush kept the Cowboys' year afloat by winning four of his five starts while Dak Prescott was sidelined with a thumb injury in September and October. Rush will be a free agent this offseason, while Will Grier is still under contract for another season, so it's possible Dallas doesn't bring him back in 2023. Given his success this past season, Rush could have multiple offers to sort through from teams looking for QB depth.
Rush completed just 18 of 38 pass attempts for 181 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions in Sunday's 26-17 loss to the Eagles.
What it means:
Rush was harassed from start to finish, resulting in his worst outing since being forced to take over as the Cowboys' starting quarterback in Week 2. The 28-year-old had flourished as a game manager with four touchdowns and no turnovers over his last four starts before getting exposed by Philadelphia's secondary Sunday. Rush's run as starter may come to a close ahead of next Sunday's tilt against the Lions, as Dak Prescott (thumb) was able to get in a throwing session before Sunday's primetime loss. The quarterback situation in Dallas should become clearer as we progress through the upcoming practice week.
Rush will serve as the Cowboys' starting quarterback Sunday at Philadelphia with Dak Prescott (thumb) inactive.
What it means:
Such was the expectation, but Prescott may have put himself in a position to return Week 7 versus the Lions after going through a throwing session ahead of Sunday's game. In the meantime, though, Rush will receive a fifth consecutive start, the first four of which resulted in Cowboys wins. During those performances, he completed 62 percent of his passes (65 of 105) for 705 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.
Cooper Rush expected to start again for Cowboys Sunday night
What it means:
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush is expected to remain the starter in Week 6 against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night, per head coach Mike McCarthy.
Dak Prescott is scheduled to throw to receivers on Wednesday for the first time since undergoing thumb surgery last month, but the Cowboys aren't planning on having him back until at least Week 7. That sets up Rush for another start on Sunday night in a key divisional matchup. He only completed 10 passes for 102 scoreless yards last week against the Los Angeles Rams, but Rush avoided a turnover for a fourth straight game while picking up another win. The former undrafted free agent will have his hands full on Sunday night with a talented Eagles' pass defense.
The Eagles are allowing the fourth-fewest FanDuel points per game to the quarterback position this season and they also have the fourth-best pass defense in our adjusted team rankings. Rush is the QB21 in numberFire's Week 6 rankings and he has a $6,500 salary on FanDuel.
The Cowboys are preparing for Rush and not Dak Prescott (thumb) to start Sunday's game versus the Eagles, Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
What it means:
While the Cowboys aren't completing dismissing the idea of Prescott putting an end to his four-game absence this weekend, McCarthy noted that the franchise signal-caller will only do "light throwing" on the sideline Wednesday during Dallas' first official Week 6 practice, per Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports. Unless Prescott's surgically repaired thumb shows dramatic healing in the next two days that allows him to grip the football and throw at optimal velocity without inhibition, Rush looks as though he'll be making his fifth consecutive start. The Cowboys have thus far gone 4-0 under Rush's stewardship, though much of the credit during that unbeaten run goes to the team's stalwart defense. For his part, Rush hasn't turned the ball over and has thrown for four touchdowns, but he's averaging a so-so 7.4 yards per attempt while completing 61.9 percent of his passes.