Cooper Rush Will Remain Cowboys' QB1 Over Trey Lance Amid Dak Injury, McCarthy Says

Things couldn't have gone much worse for the Dallas Cowboys during Sunday's 34-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but they aren't making a change at quarterback with Dak Prescott sidelined by a hamstring injury.

Head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters Monday the plan is to keep Cooper Rush under center moving forward instead of Trey Lance.

"We have a lot of faith in Cooper Rush," he said. "Everybody believes in him. How could you not considering how he has performed."

Rush went 13-of-23 for 45 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions while losing two fumbles. Ezekiel Elliott and Jake Ferguson each lost fumbles as well as the offense failed to score a single touchdown in the blowout loss.

McCarthy pointed out Rush has performed well in the past, and he did go 4-1 as a starter in 2022 when Prescott was previously out. But the Cowboys didn't win those games because of his individual brilliance, as he completed 58 percent of his passes for five touchdowns and three interceptions that season.

There is an argument to be made that Dallas should turn to Lance.

After all, it is just 3-6 on the campaign and well behind the 7-2 Eagles and 7-3 Washington Commanders in the division race. With Prescott potentially sidelined for the rest of the season, a playoff run is a long shot at best for a team that could be playing out the string in late November and December.

Given that reality, it could benefit the team for the future to know what it has in the 24-year-old Lance.

The No. 3 overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft hasn't had much of an opportunity to prove himself at the NFL level because of the combination of injuries and other quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth charts of the San Francisco 49ers and Cowboys.

This could be the perfect opportunity to see what he can do as the No. 1 quarterback, although he did throw an interception when he entered the loss to the Eagles.

Alas, the Cowboys are instead sticking with the veteran Rush as they prepare for the Week 11 game against the Houston Texans.