The Baltimore Ravens thought this plan, from about a year ago, was going to work.
They had found a new backup quarterback for Lamar Jackson. All would be good on the QB depth chart.
And then, well, Cooper Rush didn't perform.
When Jackson got hurt early in the year, Rush struggled immensely. The Ravens eventually replaced the backup with his backup, Tyler Huntley.
Now, Rush is gone. The Ravens released him on Thursday, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
The 32-year old Rush ended up appearing in four games for the Ravens.
Two of those were starts, both losses.
He completed 34-of-52 passes (65.4%) for 303 yards. Rush didn't throw a touchdown, and he threw four interceptions.
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The Ravens thought they were getting someone reliable based on Rush's time with the Dallas Cowboys, when he had a 9-5 record as a fill-in starter through the years behind Dak Prescott.
Rush wasn't that same player in Baltimore, though.
Maybe the error in the first place was getting a QB with a skillset nothing like Lamar Jackson to be Jackson's backup. The entire offense had to be run differently with Rush in the game.
The Ravens don't appear to be making that mistake again. They've already announced the return of Huntley, who should slot in right away as Jackson's QB2 this time around.
Meanwhile, Rush can likely sign elsewhere as a backup or third quarterback, but he certainly hurt his own trustworthiness in 2025.
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