FRISCO, Texas — Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but an era is ending in Dallas. And though it doesn’t equate to what was seen with the retirement and the … ahem … controversial … departure of DeMarcus Lawrence, what Cooper Rush was able to do for the Cowboys in his career doesn’t warrant such terminology — as he joins the Baltimore Ravens in 2025 free agency.
Rush is expected to sign on as backup to Lamar Jackson going forward, per multiple reports that include NFL Network, on a two-year deal worth upwards of $12.2 million.
The decision ends his seven seasons spent with the Cowboys, a stint that had only one brief hiccup when he signed on with the New York Giants for a short time in 2020 before returning to Dallas later that calendar year.
There is a lot to be said about an ability to be a productive QB2 in the NFL, considering it requires being ready at a moment’s notice to step in, for any reason, to try and keep the offense from being torpedoed entirely by the absence of the franchise quarterback; and few have mastered this craft as well as Rush.
He’s routinely been the steady hand behind All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott since joining the Cowboys as an undrafted talent in 2017, routinely beating out all challengers in the process.
Whenever injury sidelined Prescott, Rush stepped in to either keep the Cowboys on a win streak, such as his 4-1 record in 2022, or to do his best in trying to help keep the wheels on the train, as he did in 2024 — throwing for a career-high 1,844 yards and 12 touchdowns to only five interceptions.
One of the most capable backup quarterbacks in the game, one could argue that, mostly, Rush is the standard at the QB2 role, and one the Cowboys must now look to replace.
