Sports commentator Skip Bayless often gets trolled for comments he makes about the Dallas Cowboys, but few are as eyebrow-raising as what he said about the difference between star quarterback Dak Prescott and his backup-turned-starter, Cooper Rush following Prescott’s Week 1 injury.
“I can make a case that Cooper Rush is almost as good as Dak, and sometimes I think he can be a little more consistent than Dak,” Bayless said while appearing on Fox Sports’ Undisputed. “When has Dak ever shown you any routine consistency?”
Show host Shannon Sharpe quipped back with a comment any Cowboys fan could probably get behind.
“You need to put that in the briefcase and walk up outta here,” Sharpe said.
Rush has been Prescott’s backup — or his backup’s backup — since 2017. The Cowboys entered 2022 with a rag-tag cast of wide receivers and tight ends to match up with two of the league’s better-performing receiving backs in Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard.
Dallas eventually succumbed 19-3 to Tampa Bay in Week 1, but not before Prescott fractured a bone in the thumb of his throwing hand. After being handed the keys to a busted game late in the fourth quarter, Rush effectively got the ball moving against Tampa Bay, though it was far too little, far too late.
Entering Week 2 and having a week of prep with the first team gave Rush an advantage that he has only had once in his career. Rush started one game last season, a victory over Minnesota on Halloween. In his second start, Rush did just enough — without making any critical mistakes — to set his team up for a potential game-winning field goal that was successfully made by kicker Brett Maher to earn the season’s first win.
Prescott and Rush have a lot of history together with the Cowboys and numerous instances of similarity in their careers. Both got their start due to injuries to star quarterbacks, and both were viewed as inadequate by members of the media heading into their first game.
Prescott got his first start back in 2016 as the rookie backup for then-starting quarterback Tony Romo. Romo suffered a herniated disc in the final preseason game, an injury that would eventually spell the end of his storied career in Dallas. Once Prescott got under center, it seemed like no one looked back, but that doesn’t accurately reflect the reality of the situation.
At the time, the Cowboys were linked to potential moves involving veteran QBs like Nick Foles, Josh McCown, and Mike Glennon as possible new hires to fill in for Romo during the six to eight weeks he was expected to miss. No deals were made, and owner Jerry Jones later decided to give Prescott the reins to America’s Team.
Prescott’s first start was a divisional home game against the New York Giants. He went 25-of-45 for 227 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions. The Giants ultimately won with a final score of 20-19. The following week saw Prescott once again engaged in a divisional battle at Washington. Prescott’s numbers were solid, throwing 22-of-30 for 292, again without an interception or passing TD. Prescott did add a 6-yard run for a touchdown to his stat line on that day.
In comparison, Rush threw 24-of-40 for 325 with two touchdowns and an interception at Minnesota in 2021. He also lost a fumble in the game but persevered to earn his team the 20-17 victory. In his second-career start, Rush threw 19-of-31 for 235 yards with a touchdown, and the Cowboys beat Cincinnati 20-17 with a buzzer-beater field goal.
On paper, Rush put up 560 yards against Prescott’s 519, with three touchdowns passing to Prescott’s zero, along with an interception and a fumble over his first two starts. Of course, two starts are not enough to quantify a statement like the one made by Bayless, but the two quarterbacks may be closer together in skills than is commonly thought.
Until Prescott is able to return to the field, Rush will need to be almost as good if the Cowboys are going to avoid a poor start to the 2022 season.
