Blinksportsnews247The Cowboys may need to make a crucial choice if Dak Prescott is the starting quarterback in 2024—either by signing an extension or playing out the final year of his contract.
Who should I retain as my backup in 2024? Who will it be, Trey Lance or Cooper Rush?
Because in late April, Dallas might be thinking about drafting Prescott’s eventual replacement.
If selected in the draft, that player would start the season in the third spot until he matures. Thus, one of Rush or Lance would have to leave.
In all honesty, Rush will probably be retained if that is what the Cowboys choose to do in the 2024 draft. Dallas would then sell Lance, who they acquired last year, away, probably in exchange for one or two draft picks.
It will not be an easy decision. Here is why!
Cooper Rush’s Case
Rush’s resume shows a 5-1 record in Dallas as a starter.
Rush led the Cowboys to an exciting 20-16 comeback victory over the Vikings in Minnesota on Halloween night in 2021.
Prescott’s leg injury kept him out of the game, but Rush still managed to go 24 for 40 for 325 yards. He had one interception versus two touchdowns contributed.
Rush completed a five-yard throw to Amari Cooper with 51 seconds remaining to win the game.
Rush won the following four games as the starting quarterback in 2022 after Prescott was hurt in the team’s season-opening defeat to Tampa Bay.
Throughout those four games, the Cowboys’ offense had greater ball possession.
relying on the rushing game and short passes to win.
Against the Eagles, in his fifth and last start of the campaign, the Cowboys attempted to establish a statement by opening up the passing game.
Rush threw three expensive interceptions in a 26-17 loss to the Eagles after going four games without one.
In his six career starts, it was the sole misstep.
Since his third-round pick against the Eagles, he has not had to start a game and has only thrown one interception in 40 pass attempts.
To put it briefly, Rush has the ability to win games and generally handles the football. That’s a big benefit for him to stay at QB2 in Dallas.
The Situation With Trey Lance
After missing all of 2023’s games, Lance will be starting his fourth NFL season in 2024.
Lance was chosen by the 49ers out of North Dakota State in the 2021 draft after they traded three first-round selections and a third-round pick to advance in the draft.
San Francisco did not benefit from the decision. Throughout the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Lance appeared in eight games, but he only started four of them.
In exchange for the Cowboys’ fourth-round draft pick in 2024, he was traded to Dallas last year.
Thus, Dallas may already have an internal project quarterback. However, they won’t know unless he receives reps as QB2 and they obtain real, post-injury game footage of him.
Although he has displayed some promising moments, would this be sufficient to persuade the Cowboys to trade Rush?
The Argument in Favor of Maintaining Both QBs
Rush and Lance are about to enter the last year of their contracts.
There is a fifth year option on Lance’s slightly over $5 million contract. Rush will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025 after earning slightly less than $3 million.
So, regardless of their short- and long-term goals about Prescott, Dallas could be able to get away with keeping both.
Ultimately, it’s possible that the Cowboys would be better off choosing not to attempt to select another quarterback this year.
Give each of their current trio of quarterbacks one more season to establish themselves.
It would have to be nothing less than Prescott’s first career victory over the Divisional round.
Lance and Rush have a year to demonstrate who is the superior player. and demonstrate that they are capable of becoming the one to return Dallas to championship games.
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