Dallas Cowboys pre-training camp position breakdown series looks at quarterbacks
When it comes to the quarterback position the Dallas Cowboys have three very different options at their disposal. Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush and Trey Lance are all at varying points in their respective careers (more on that in a moment) and it goes without saying that there is a ton of intrigue related to how the Cowboys are going to approach the long-term future of the position and the involvement of Prescott and/or Lance.
In the lead-up to training camp we’ll be taking a look at each position group on the Cowboys in some detail (there will also be video versions of these posted on the Blogging The Boys YouTube Channel, you’ll see this one a bit down below).
Given that it is the most important position in the game we are getting the party started with quarterback.
Here we go (no pun intended).
Dak Prescott
He may be one of the more divisive players who has ever played for the team, but Dak Prescott is unquestionably the starting quarterback for the Cowboys entering the 2024 season.
This year will mark the ninth that Prescott serves under center for the team although the eighth that he enters as the obvious starter given all of the details associated with his rookie campaign. You will recall that his predecessor entered 10 total seasons in such a capacity as Tony Romo went into training camp as QB1 for the team from 2007-2016. Time flies.
There is a high level of polarization surrounding Prescott among more than just general football fans. Like Romo before him, Prescott has an uncanny ability to divide the fan base with opinions about whether or not he is the proper person suited for leading the troops into battle. Heavy is the head that wears the crown of quarterback for America’s Team.
While there are a number of things people disagree on as it relates to Dak it feels pretty universally understood that he is coming off of his best season to date, where he finished second in MVP voting.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25486862/download.png)
Obviously the season ended in catastrophic fashion for the Cowboys but Prescott was one of the more prominent reasons for success throughout the ride to the end. Regression to the mean suggests that he will dip statistically (410/590 for 4,516 yards and a career-high 36 touchdowns) but he does seem to be in the sweet spot of a quarterback’s career where his understanding of the game pairs well with his physical abilities.
What’s more is that while even his most intense critics can acknowledge that Dak did indeed achieve the numbers that he did, it seems like we as a whole do not give enough due to the offensive play-caller in Mike McCarthy. When the offense, Prescott included, experienced highs from 2019 through 2022 in different offensive metrics and measurements so many people were quick to throw flowers at Kellen Moore’s feet. The point is not that we should organize a parade in Mike McCarthy’s honor, but the man was cooking with gas throughout most of the football that we saw from this bunch. Again, the playoffs obviously left a sour taste in our mouth.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25486867/Screenshot_2024_06_11_at_11.56.52_AM.png)
Ultimately the Cowboys have one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL in Dak Prescott according to the data. Narratives associated with this team and therefore Prescott himself (many of which he is responsible for as well) can hamper people from evaluating him fairly and properly unlike many of his peers. Once again, heavy is the head.
But having someone like Prescott under center gives the Cowboys a fighting chance which is worth a lot in the modern NFL.
Cooper Rush
In talking about Dak Prescott we referenced Kellen Moore (now the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator in case you forgot) but you really cannot tell the full and total story of Moore the NFL coach without our next player. Cooper Rush pushed him into that profession.
During his first stint with the Cowboys (he was released and later brought back) Rush took the team by storm with an all-time preseason performance as a rookie undrafted free agent in 2017. Moore hung on throughout that season (until Dallas needed a roster spot for Blake Jarwin) but ultimately was pushed out of things because Dallas found their would-be backup in Rush. Funny how fate works.
Rush was dismissed and later returned and thank goodness he did. Cooper started a lone game in 2021 when Prescott missed a visit to the Minnesota Vikings and performed admirably. He even threw the game-winning touchdown to Amari Cooper.
But Rush’s real time to shine occurred a season later after Prescott hurt his thumb in the season opener. With Cooper under center the Cowboys went 4-1 and kept themselves in the playoff hunt, ultimately earning the top Wild Card in the conference. Needless to say there are many less-equipped backup quarterbacks to hand the baton to in an emergency.
Recently the folks over at Pro Football Network ranked all of the backups in the NFL and had Cooper outside of the top half.
18) Cooper Rush, Dallas Cowboys
Cooper Rush went 4-1 after relieving Dak Prescott as the Cowboys’ starter in 2021, putting the ball in the hands of Dallas’ playmakers and letting them get to work. Rush always looks composed when asked to enter a game in place of Prescott and led several comeback victories during his five-game run three years ago.
The times involved there are not accurate, but even still pushing Rush this far down seems a bit harsh. His experience, specifically with this team and offense and backup to the starter ahead of him specifically, is pretty invaluable which is why he has hung around this long.
Rush has done his best when the support around him, including the coaching, has been at its highest, and given the circumstances with this team at the moment, it stands to reason that he could rise to another challenge if he was called to.
But will he get the chance in that hypothetical? Probably not. And that has nothing to do with him specifically.
We will be dropping videos breaking down position groups on the Dallas Cowboys roster every Tuesday and Thursday for the next few weeks as we get closer and closer to training camp. Make sure to subscribe to the Blogging The Boys YouTube Channel (which you can do right here) so you do not miss any of them.
Trey Lance
Hazarding a guess at the Cowboys depth chart right now, Trey Lance is at QB3. But the depth chart does not show that the team traded a fourth-round pick for him a year ago or that they do not have a quarterback under contract for next season and those things matter a great deal.
The idea of Lance as QB1 of this team in 2025 should they move on from Prescott seems far-fetched, but given the situation as it lies it cannot be dismissed. It is for this reason that Lance seems guaranteed not only a roster spot, but an enormous amount of time to justify it both during training camp and the preseason.
It is not wise to read into anything this time of year or even once we get to Oxnard activity, but it is notable that when Deuce Vaughn spoke about seeing work out of the slot, he mentioned gaining an understanding of what Prescott and Rush want and like. There was no mention of Lance in that quote. Again, don’t read too much into things like that.
“It was one of those things that we had kind of talked about at the end of the season last year. Talking with Schotty… just a little bit about getting with that slot. Getting with a Brandin Cooks. Getting with a guy that plays out there. And just learning a little bit more about it. Because it’s one of the things I did in college and love to do. Just adds another value. Getting into this OTA season it’s perfect to go out here and learn with these guys and be on the field with Dak. Understand what he’s thinking. Understand what Coop’s thinking. Understand what these guys are doing.”
Every year when we put together our roster predictions, we wonder where the Cowboys are going to have to go light so that they can go heavy somewhere else. Quarterback used to be a spot to note that carrying three may be unnecessary, but with the way that teams can have an emergency third one dressed on game days without counting towards the actual active game day roster, some of that motivation had wind taken out of its sails. The point is that carrying three seems relatively normal in our current landscape.
Because of that it seems unlikely that Lance will push Cooper Rush off of this team, but you can make the assumption that the folks standing on top of the tower between Oxnard’s two practice fields will be hoping like crazy that he leapfrogs him with relative ease on the depth chart. This may only be Lance’s first trip to Oxnard given that Dallas traded for him at the end of the preseason last year, but it is his fourth overall season in the NFL. The time is now. He needs to take it.