FRISCO - Four games into the 2024 Cooper Rush experience, the Dallas Cowboys are now 2-3 with him at the helm of the offense and 5-8 overall. A two-game winning streak hinted at a potentially interesting finish to the season before the Cowboys choked away a win over the Cincinnati Bengals on "Monday Night Football."
With respect to those like Micah Parsons who urged a fighting mentality amid this adversity, Dallas' season effectively ended when Dak Prescott left the game against Atlanta with a hamstring injury and was ruled out for the season.
So despite their efforts these recent weeks, they find themselves still three games back of the .500 mark and far removed from the NFC Playoff Picture. Eight losses with four games to play combined with the litany of injury issues still prominent across the depth chart mark an insurmountable hill for the Cowboys to climb.
Not all the frustrations of Dallas' current situation can be placed onto Rush and frankly this was an already tough situation for him to step into. But besides a few games with some inflated statistics, Rush is not really a piece that is maintaining a high quality offense.
Normally when a team loses their starting quarterback like the Cowboys have, that standard is accepted because there are no better alternatives, especially for a team removed from postseason contention. But that's not the entire story here.
The Cowboys traded a fourth-round pick for Trey Lance last summer and have yet to utilize him at all in the regular season. Lance was expected to step into the No. 2 spot behind Prescott at training camp before Rush beat him out.
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However, Dallas does not have anything to lose at this point in the season, so why not try Lance out during the sometime in the four games?
Team owner Jerry Jones' answer has frustrated Cowboys fans all saying the same thing about Jones and Dallas' overall judgment.
"I don't think so," Jones responded on 105.3 The Fan when asked about moving on with Lance. "I thought we did some good things out there (Monday night). I still believe (Rush) gives us our best chance."
But ... why? And even if it's true ... so what?
If the Cowboys had a division title or playoff spot to risk, sticking with the reliable veteran would be the clear best option. But with four games to go, there is no reason Lance should not get at least a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of the league. ... and to let Dallas see what he can do - because after two years, this coaching staff really does not know.
He's out of contract after this year, so maybe Lance in Dallas is over before it every really began. But could there a future for him at The Star? At this rate ... nobody will ever know.
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This story was originally published December 10, 2024, 4:36 PM.