Cooper Rush to Remain Cowboys' QB1 over Trey Lance for Texans Game, Jerry Jones Says

Dallas Cowboys veteran backup quarterback Cooper Rush struggled in his first start in Sunday's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but it doesn't sound like the team is ready to make a change.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said during a radio appearance on Tuesday that the team will move forward with Rush as the starter over Trey Lance for next week's game against the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football because "he does give us our best chance."

Rush was thrust into the starting role for Dallas after star quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a hamstring injury that reportedly has him considering season-ending surgery.

Unfortunately, Rush failed to find his footing against Philadelphia, throwing for 45 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions in a 34-6 loss that dropped the Cowboys' record to 3-6. He was eventually benched and replaced by Lance, who threw for 21 yards and an interception on 4-of-6 passing while adding three rushes for 17 yards.

Jones said Rush's performance on Sunday "was out of character" and not a true indication of his effectiveness for the Cowboys.

"He was not the Cooper Rush we know," Jones said. "A lot of things went wrong for us out there (Sunday). He can play better than that."

The last time Rush saw significant action was when he started five games during the 2022 season after Prescott suffered a thumb injury. He led Dallas to a 4-1 record during that stretch and impressed enough to maintain his role as the Cowboys' primary backup.

Dallas will be looking to end a four-game losing streak when it meets Houston (6-4) in next week's prime-time matchup, so the team is certainly hoping that Rush will be able to bounce back from his struggles against Philadelphia.