The Dallas Cowboys' quarterback room looks a lot different this year after they traded for former Patriots backup Joe Milton and allowed Cooper Rush and Trey Lance to walk in free agency.
While re-signing Lance seemingly was never in the cards for obvious reasons, it was a tad surprising the front office didn't bring Rush back. He had been Dak Prescott's backup for the last seven seasons and he kept the ship afloat whenever Prescott was out injured.
Rush ended up signing with the Ravens to back up Lamar Jackson. The 31-year-old got the start in Thursday's preseason game against the Colts and it did not take him long to prove the Cowboys right for moving on and choosing to develop Milton behind Prescott.
It took Cooper Rush one pass to prove the Cowboys right
Rush threw an interception on the second play from scrimmage. He looked for receiver Dayton Wade up the right sideline and the pass had no chance. The defensive back practically ran Wade's route for him, and Rush let it fly anyway. Wade drew a questionable offensive pass interference call, but that only underscored how poor the throw was.
It was a bad read for starters, but the INT underlined Rush's lack of arm strength. The pass just floated up in the air begging to be intercepted. It's unclear where Rush tried to hit Wade, but the throw needed a lot more zip to give Wade a chance of reeling it in.
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While Rush's status as Baltimore's backup is not in jeopardy, the Ravens have to be having second thoughts about signing him. He can't replicate Jackson's skillset whatsoever, so Baltimore will have to run an entirely different offense if Jackson missed time.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, have a very intriguing prospect in Milton.
While Milton still needs to polish the finer points of the position, he has franchise quarterback potential. With Prescott under contract for four more years, Milton can develop on his own timeline. He’s signed through the 2027 season, so this isn’t a Trey Lance scenario where Dallas faced a shortened development window to make a decision on his future.
It would be nice to see Rush bounce back in the Ravens' next preseason game, which happens to be against the Cowboys, but it goes without saying that Dallas is better off with Milton.