With Dak Prescott out for the season, there was curiosity about how the Dallas Cowboys would handle the quarterback position. Cooper Rush was named the starter, but Trey Lance played 15 snaps, threw six passes and ran three times in the first game without Prescott, resulting in a blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. A few weeks later, Lance caught two snaps, totaling one rush for minus-3 yards.

Since then, only the Cooper Rush Show has been running.

For those who want to see Lance over Rush, the logic is that Rush is a 31-year-old career backup whose ceiling doesn’t go any higher. Lance is 24, a fourth-round pick and a mystery. Both quarterbacks will be free agents after this season.

But what if, among the two quarterbacks, Rush is the one who has the more legitimate interest in the future – especially when it comes to the Cowboys’ roster after 2024?

Dallas’ starting quarterback spot is set in stone after the Cowboys signed Prescott to a record-setting four-year extension on the first Sunday of the regular season. Prescott is under contract through 2028, with a possible exit after the 2027 season. He is subject to a no-trade clause for the duration of his contract. Prescott will be the Cowboys’ quarterback for at least the next three years.

Your job is to find appropriate support for Prescott in 2025 and beyond. This week, head coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer were asked what key attributes would define their ideal backup quarterback.

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McCarthy: “I think the main thing I’ve always looked for in a replacement is: Can we keep playing the way we’ve always played? That’s something Cooper gives us because when you have to change so much, it takes away from the training of others. … It’s important for the backup quarterback to go in and just get going because the reality is: When his chance comes, there’s a good chance it’s going to be a flow game. You won’t have all week to prepare him for his first mission.”

Schottenheimer: “It depends a little bit on who your starter is. That is my experience. If you have a young starter, you want more of a veteran type. A guy like Cooper would be great in any room, but he has so much knowledge and has dealt with so many systems and things like that. If you have a veteran, this doesn’t have to be the case. Sometimes you train the next guy. … It depends, but can they run the offense? That’s No. 1. Does the system need to change? Can they handle the volume? Can they handle not getting reps during the week? Are they great communicators?”

Cooper Rush has started 12 games for Dallas since 2021. (Bob Donnan/Imagn Images)

At the top of the list is not having to make major changes to the offense if the starter is out. Prescott’s agility early in his career can create a distorted image, but the speed and volatility are not hallmarks of the 31-year-old starter. Rush reflects Prescott’s athleticism and style of play more than Lance.

Schottenheimer makes a smart point about the backup’s age factor. Prescott isn’t a young quarterback, so Dallas doesn’t need a veteran to mentor and act as a stabilizing force and leader through the crazy winds of the NFL. Prescott is already that guy. His leadership is arguably Prescott’s greatest quality. But Prescott is also at the start of a new four-year contract, so there’s little logic in starting to prepare for the man who will one day take the reins from him. That may be something the Cowboys want from their backup quarterback in 2027 or even 2026, but there’s no pressing need for it right now.

Nevertheless, there is much to suggest that Rush is an ideal replacement player in Dallas. He has been here since 2017 when he signed as an undrafted free agent. He has a good relationship with Prescott and has the respect of his teammates in the locker room. The front office likes him too – he offers them a cheap and safe option.

Rush is a smart player who has worked well in multiple systems. He had a big primetime win in Minnesota in 2021, went 4-1 as a starter in 2022 and is 3-3 in six starts this season. These instances of substitute assignments for shorter periods of time are a better example of what the Cowboys need from a backup quarterback than the current situation of playing the second half of a full season.

Rush isn’t perfect, but with a $60 million guy already in the quarterback room, the Cowboys can’t afford to add an expensive replacement as well. It’s nice to have former starters like Sam Darnold, Joe Flacco, Jacoby Brissett and Andy Dalton as backups, but it helps to have the starters on rookie deals like JJ McCarthy, Anthony Richardson, Drake Maye and Bryce Young, respectively.

According to Spotrac, Rush has a cap hit of just under $3 million this season. As long as the numbers on his next deal stay in the wide neighborhood, this is a good deal for what he offers the Cowboys, especially if he’s able to eliminate his weekly unforced fumble.

Lance’s future in Dallas beyond 2024 was always going to be a bit confusing. If he made good use of his limited opportunities and the Cowboys didn’t sign Prescott to a long-term contract and wavered in their belief in Prescott as a franchisor, perhaps there would be some intrigue if Lance were given the baton. But Lance was a disappointment every step of the way, from his 2024 training camp practices to the 2024 preseason and the limited opportunities he otherwise got.

That’s one of the reasons the Cowboys had no choice but to go all-in on Rush after Prescott went down. The coaches and front office can’t preach the message that winning is a priority in the locker room without using the best quarterback available. That’s why Rush is still the starter, as the Cowboys are still mathematically alive in the playoffs come Week 16, no matter how unlikely it may be.

The biggest cloud hanging over the backup quarterback position’s prospects beyond 2024 is the mystery of who the head coach and offensive coaching staff will be in 2025. But regardless of who the head coach is in 2025, Rush’s play since taking over shows why he should be a leading candidate to retain a role he has made his own throughout his career.

(Top photo of Rush and Jalen Tolbert: Grant Halverson / Getty Images)