When Cooper Rush was thrown into the fire in Week 1 of last season, expectations were low. Previous to 2022, Rush only had one career start to his name. Over the course of those four previous seasons, he was 31 for 50, throwing for 424 yards and posting a career QBR under 41 (well below average).
So when Rush went 4-1 in place of the injured Dak Prescott early last season, just about everyone experienced some degree of surprise. Rush didn’t light the world on fire, but he did enough to get the job done for the Cowboys.
As a result of his success in 2022, it was believed the Cowboys would have a difficult time retaining their season-saving QB2.
Rush entered free agency in March, coming off the best season of his career but he didn’t garner the interest many thought he would on the open market.
After testing the lukewarm waters of free agency, Rush reupped with Dallas, signing a 2-year, $5 million deal to reclaim his role as Prescott’s top back-up.
Given the lack of interest in free agency it begs the question: Was Rush overrated in Dallas?
Cowboys made "resilience" their theme entering season. They lived up to it during Sunday's win over Bengals. Mike McCarthy went for fourth-and-2 from own 44 on opening drive, showing trust in QB Cooper Rush to make throw. He did, finding WR Noah Brown. Led to TD between them. pic.twitter.com/fDwl9F9yQt
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) September 19, 2022
Even for a back-up spot, Rush’s contract was modest by most standards. It stands to reason the demand wasn’t much for the 30-year-old QB and he wasn’t viewed to be quite the asset nationally as he was locally.
The numbers seem to validate such an idea. While his win-loss record (4-1) and touchdown to interception ratio (5-3) looked strong, his adjusted yards gained per pass attempt (AY/A) dropped to a paltry 6.3, his yards/g sat at 116.8 and his QBR ended at 58.7.
Advanced stats were also fairly meager. In expected points added plus completion percentage over expected (EPA+CPOE composite) Rush’s 0.009 came in at 44th in the NFL last season, placing him right in the middle of QB2 territory.
Rush posted just a 42.6 success rate, which placed him at 38th in the NFL and his adjusted EPA/p was 0.006 which ranked him 32nd (Prescott was top-10 in all categories).
At the end of the day, Rush looked like a back-up QB, both on film and by the numbers. He took care of the football and was able to make a few big plays here and there, but primarily he just let the defense carry the load and took advantage of situations when they presented themselves.
He may not be someone who’s going to win games but he’s someone who knows how to play within himself and won’t lose games either. On a team like the Cowboys who have an elite defense and homerun hitters on offense, he fits nicely.
On a less talented team where the QB is needed to do heavy lifting to compete, he doesn’t fit as well.
Which explains the tepid reception he was given in free agency.
Cooper Rush: “I’ve played well, but obviously it’s the whole team. I’ve been fortunate with our defense only allowing one touchdown a game. That makes playing QB a lot easier. The QB-win stat gets thrown out there a lot.
“The win stat as a team is the most important one.” pic.twitter.com/y8bzwHqkME
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 6, 2022
Whether he’s overrated, underrated or appropriately valued depends on everyone’s individual expectations for Rush. It’s safe to say there are only a handful of teams in the NFL Rush could have gone 4-1 with because it’s hard to win in this league with a QB who consistently throws for under 200 yards/g.
But on the Cowboys, he’s a great fit. The team knows what they’re getting from Rush and can formulate the proper gameplan to win with him. Rush knows his defense and the playmakers around him can get the job done so he doesn’t have to feel the pressure to press. It’s a perfect marriage because of the familiarity between player and team.
Overrated?
Underrated?
Who cares? It’s a good fit.
[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]