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With Dak Prescott sidelined for the remainder of the season due to a hamstring injury that required surgery, the Cowboys are forced to go with a backup quarterback under center.
Cooper Rush has served as Prescott’s backup since 2017. While the starter was given a contract making him the highest-paid player in NFL history, Rush is in the final year of his two-year, $5 million contract to be the backup. Rush has a great opportunity to earn himself a new contract if he can finish the 2024 season strong and even lead Dallas back into playoff contention.
Before looking that far ahead, let’s take a look back at how Rush landed in Dallas.
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Where was Cooper Rush drafted?
Rush went undrafted in the 2017 NFL Draft. He ultimately signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent shortly after the draft. He won the third-string job over Zac Dysert and Luke McCown, settling into a reserve position behind Dak Prescott and Kellen Moore.
Still, among the quarterbacks that were selected that year, he doesn’t have the worst career or situation. He certainly could have been drafted over that year’s Mr. Irrelevant. Chad Kelly was taken with the final pick in the draft out of Ole Miss. He had off-field issues, and his best pro ball was played in the Canadian Football League as opposed to the NFL.
Here are the quarterbacks that were drafted ahead of Rush in the 2017 NFL Draft.
| Player Name | Round, Overall Pick |
| Mitch Trubisky | 1, 2 |
| Patrick Mahomes | 1, 10 |
| Deshaun Watson | 1, 12 |
| DeShone Kizer | 2, 52 |
| Davis Webb | 3, 87 |
| C.J. Beathard | 3, 104 |
| Joshua Dobbs | 4, 135 |
| Nathan Peterman | 5, 171 |
| Brad Kaaya | 6, 215 |
| Chad Kelly | 7, 253 (Mr. Irrelevant) |
Where did Cooper Rush go to college?
Rush went to Central Michigan from 2012-16, redshirting his first season. He did not cross over with famous Central Michigan alum Antonio Brown, who graduated in 2009.
Rush was named to the Second-team All-MAC team in 2015 and the Third-team All-MAC team in 2016. He still holds the Chippewas’ record for passing yards in a season with 3,848, passing yards in a single game (493) and passing touchdowns in a single game (seven). He has Central Michigan’s second-most passing yards in a career (12,894) and second-most career passing touchdowns (90) trailing only Dan LeFevour.
Cooper rush college stats
| Year | Games | Completions | Attempts | Passing Yards | Passing TDs | Interceptions |
| 2013 | 11 | 177 | 312 | 2,349 | 15 | 15 |
| 2014 | 13 | 243 | 382 | 3,157 | 27 | 13 |
| 2015 | 13 | 324 | 489 | 3,848 | 25 | 11 |
| 2016 | 13 | 278 | 465 | 3,540 | 23 | 16 |
| Totals | 50 | 1,022 | 1,648 | 12,894 | 90 | 55 |