Cooper Rush is 2-0 in his starts since Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was injured Week 1 against the Buccaneers. And with that hot start, he has continued to be the recipient of effusive praise from owner Jerry Jones.
Jones said on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday that Rush has “the makeup of a top quarterback,” according to ESPN’s Todd Archer, a day after Rush and the Cowboys beat the NFC East rival Giants 23-16.
“Let me say this: He’s certainly playing as well as anybody could’ve expected,” Jones said, per Archer.
MORE: 4 historic facts about Cooper Rush after Cowboys’ ‘Monday Night Football’ win
This latest round of praise from Jones comes a week after the loquacious owner said he wanted to see Rush cast doubt on whether he could create a quarterback controversy for the team when Prescott returns from his injury.
“Of course I would. Of course. That means we’d have won,” Jones said when asked if he wants Rush to create a QB controversy in Dallas, per ESPN. “If he comes in there and plays as well as Prescott played, Rush? Played that well over these next games ahead? I’d walk to New York to get that.”
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy had to walk back those comments, saying that it was clear to everyone — including Jones — that “Dak is our quarterback.”
“We want Cooper to be successful as possible,” McCarthy said, according to The Fort Worth Star Telegram’s Clarence Hill Jr. “So, I think it stops right there.”
MORE: Mike McCarthy rebukes Jerry Jones’ QB controversy comments
Rush’s start to the season is noteworthy, particularly as Prescott remains out following a fracture in his right hand. He is the first undrafted quarterback since Kurt Warner to begin his career 3-0 — he won his first career start in 2021 — with at least 750 passing yards. He is also the second quarterback to win his first three career starts with game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime, per Elias.
Cooper Rush is the second QB in the Super Bowl era to win his first three career starts with game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime, per Elias. Virgil Carter is the other.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) September 27, 2022
In his three games this season, Rush has completed 62.7 percent of his passes for 514 yards with two touchdown passes and no interceptions.
MORE: When will Dak Prescott return?
Prescott could be returning to the starting role soon, with the team’s franchise quarterback targeting Week 5 against the Rams, according to USA Today, which would mark the end of Rush’s time as the starter in Dallas.
But if Jones is to be believed, it certainly would seem the Cowboys have no reason to be in a rush to bring Prescott back into the fold.
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