Jones would like Rush to complicate Cowboys QB decision

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones wants Cooper Rush to make life difficult for the Dallas Cowboys.

He wants Cooper Rush, the backup quarterback, to play so well that it leads to controversy over whether Dak Prescott should be the starter once he’s recovered to play after undergoing right thumb surgery last week.

“Of course I’d like him. Absolutely. That would mean we’re winning,” Jerry Jones responded. “Rush playing as well as Prescott is? Him playing well in the next few games? I’d walk all the way to New York to make it so.”

As Jones spoke, images from 2016 emerged. Dak Prescott was a fourth-round pick that year, replacing the injured Tony Romo, who hurt his back in a preseason game. After losing the first game of the season that year, the Cowboys won 11 in a row, a franchise record, and Romo never regained his starting position. Can Cooper Rush do that?

“Well, I don’t know that,” Jerry Jones blurted out. “You can’t find any record where he said he thought Dak Prescott could pull it off when he had the opportunity to do it. But he did.”

Cooper Rush will get his second consecutive start Monday against the New York Giants and only the third of his career. The Cowboys have won Rush’s starts in last-minute series, including a 50-yard field goal to beat the Cincinnati Bengals 20-17 last week.

There is a flaw in the Jones comparison. Unlike Tony Romo’s injury when the Cowboys knew he would miss a couple of months, Jones believes there’s a chance Dak Prescott could return Oct. 2 against the Washington Commanders.

“Well, of course we want Dak to be here next week,” Jones agreed. “That’s the question. You do. But Dak and I want Rush to lead the team to a win here and get another win and get another win and get another win. That’s the only way to look at it. Looking back when Dak was playing in Tony’s place, it was play-by-play. It wasn’t a long-term look that we had after two months. It was actually game by game, almost series by series. So, do I think it’s possible for Rush to play at a level to win like Prescott did when he replaced Romo? Yes, I do. I certainly think that’s possible.”

Dak Prescott still hasn’t had his stitches removed from surgery. He went through rehab and conditioning work during the portion of Thursday’s practice that was open to the media.

Immediately following the season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, sources indicated Prescott would miss 6-8 weeks, however, the club received favorable word from the surgeon that it could be a four-week absence, if not sooner.

“I’ll tell you it won’t be because anyone is worried about him getting hurt [again],” Jones said. “If we’re worried [it’s] about his grip and the strength in his grip. But is it possible for him to play in four weeks? The answer is yes.”

But let’s get back to the possibility of Rush being more than a backup. When asked about the narratives that Prescott needs to study Rush’s videos, Ezekiel Elliott smiled.

“Really, it’s TV people who want clicks, to be visible, they’re going to say the most outrageous things and get the most attention. That’s their job. Who knows if they really believe it.”

But what about when Jones says he expects to have a “dilemma,” when Prescott is healthy?

“He wants you all to hear it, too,” Elliott smiled. “It’s all marketing, man. It’s all marketing.”