Cowboys' Jones Talks Cooper Rush over Trey Lance as QB1: Winning Is 'Number 1 Thing'

Cooper Rush has struggled in his two games as the team's starting quarterback after Dak Prescott was lost for the season with a hamstring injury, leading to some fans and pundits calling for Trey Lance to instead be given game time.

But team owner Jerry Jones feels Rush is still the right man for the job.

"Rush gives us the best chance to win the game," he told reporters Thursday. "That is the No. 1 thing of importance, win the game. Not evaluate."

Rush, 30, has thrown for 399 yards, one touchdown, one interception and has been sacked six times in his two starts this season, losing two fumbles. The Cowboys have lost those games by a combined score of 68-16 to the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans.

In the process, Dallas has dropped to 3-7 on the season, clinging to the longest of playoff odds. The fact that the team isn't completely eliminated from postseason contention just yet is perhaps why Jones will persist with Rush as the quarterback rather than taking a long look at Lance and giving him some developmental time.

But the Lance trade remains a confusing decision from Dallas.

Ahead of the 2023 season, the Cowboys traded a fourth-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers for the young quarterback. At the time, Prescott wasn't signed to a long-term extension yet—was Lance a long-term contingency plan in case Prescott walked? Did they believe they could develop him and eventually trade him for a better pick? Did they simply see him as a potential backup, even though Rush had looked solid in the role in 2022?

Whatever the reason, it appears Lance won't pay off in any regard. Prescott signed a long-term extension this offseason, for one. Lance didn't his value on the trade market—he even threw five interceptions in a preseason game this summer—and is now heading to free agency following the 2024 season. And the team clearly doesn't trust him in a backup role over Rush, who hasn't exactly played well this season.

For now, Jones clings to the hope that the Cowboys could turn things around. At some point, though, it might be wise for the organization to see what Lance could do with an extended run at the position.