Cooper Robert Rush (born November 21, 1993) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

for the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Central Michigan Chippewas The Central Michigan Chippewas are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Central Michigan University (CMU), located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The school fields sixteen men's and women's intercollegiate teams that compete at the ...

, and was signed by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2017.

Early life

Originally from

Charlotte, Michigan Charlotte ( ) is a city and county seat of Eaton County, Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 9,299. Charlotte is in the central portion of the county on the boundary between Eaton Township and Carmel Township but is polit ...

, Rush attended

Lansing Catholic High School Lansing Catholic High School is a private school, private, Roman Catholic high school in Lansing, Michigan. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing. History St. Mary High School was established in 1900. Resurrection High Scho ...

Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, Michigan, Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County, Michigan, Eaton County and nort ...

, with an enrollment of just over 500 students, where he became a three-year starter at

for the

team. Rush also played

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

(until his freshman year). In 2010 and 2011, Rush led his team to back-to-back undefeated regular seasons. In 2011, Rush led his team to the state runner-up title. In the Division 5 regional championship game against Dowagiac Union High School, he set Michigan state records with five

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

passes in one quarter and eight for the game. The team would end up losing in the finals against Powers Catholic High School 56–26, even though he registered 300 passing yards and three touchdowns. As a senior, Rush received All-State,

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

' Michigan Division 5/6 Player of the Year and

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

's Michigan

Gatorade Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. The drink is owned and manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was develope ...

Player of the Year honors. Rush finished his high school career throwing for 7,248 passing yards (455-for-734, 62 percent), 80 passing touchdowns, 1,438 rushing yards and 27 rushing touchdowns. A three-star recruit, Rush only received scholarship offers from

Central Michigan Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower Peninsula of the United States, U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said t ...

and Toledo, but received preferred walk-on offers from

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...

, Northwestern, and

Western Michigan West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for a region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Generally, it refers to the Grand Rapids- Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Peninsula's Lake ...

College career

In his

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...

season at Central Michigan, Rush was named the school's

Scout Team The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of ...

Player of the Year. As a freshman, although he began the season as the third-string quarterback, Rush was named the starter by the third game, after Cody Kater was injured (collarbone fracture) and his backup Alex Niznak could not move the offense against the

New Hampshire Wildcats The New Hampshire Wildcats, or 'Cats, are the College athletics in the United States, American intercollegiate athletic teams representing the University of New Hampshire (UNH), located in Durham, New Hampshire, Durham. The Bobcat, wildcat is the ...

. In that contest, Rush came in the second quarter and helped engineer a 24–21 comeback victory, where he tallied 326 passing yards and three touchdowns, tying the school record for the longest in history (97 yards). Rush would never relinquish the position or miss a start after the game. As a sophomore, Rush played in the

2014 Bahamas Bowl The 2014 Bahamas Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game that was played December 24, 2014 at Thomas Robinson Stadium in Nassau in the Bahamas. The first edition of the Bahamas Bowl featured the Central Michigan Chippewas of ...

against the

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers are the athletic teams that represent Western Kentucky University (WKU), located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, competing in the ...

. By the middle of the third quarter, his team had fallen behind 49–14, but scored four unanswered touchdowns and were down by only seven points near the end of the fourth quarter. With one second remaining on the contest, Central Michigan had the ball on their own 25 yard line. The would-be final play started with a 45-yard

Hail Mary pass A Hail Mary pass is a very long forward pass in American football, typically made in desperation, with a very small chance of achieving a completion (American football), completion. Due to the difficulty of a completion with this pass, it makes r ...

from Rush to

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

Jesse Kroll. As Kroll was being tackled he lateraled the ball to teammate Deon Butler, who ran 20 yards before lateraling to Courtney Williams. With no space to run, Williams made a quick third lateral pass to leading receiver

Titus Davis Titus Davis (January 3, 1993 – November 11, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver. He played college football for the Central Michigan Chippewas, and holds the school records for both career receiving yar ...

who ran the final 13 yards, scoring a touchdown that would have tied the game with a kicked extra point and sent the game into

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...

, but instead Central Michigan attempted a

two-point conversion In gridiron football, a two-point conversion, two-point convert, or two-point attempt is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point conversion immediately after it scores a touchdown. In a two-point conversion attempt, the team that ...

for the win, which was unsuccessful. Had the try succeeded, it would have marked the largest comeback in bowl history and tied the largest comeback in any Division I game. Rush's seven touchdown passes set an all-time record for all

bowl game In North America, a bowl game, or simply bowl, is one of a number of postseason college football games primarily played by NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. For most of its history, the FBS did not use a playoff tourname ...

s. Rush's best season came as a junior in 2015. Through the first 13 games, he had 3,703 passing yards, which was a new school single-season record. Rush completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,848 total passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and 11

interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team bu ...

. As a senior, Rush's production dropped to 3,540 passing yards and 23 touchdowns, but with 16 interceptions and a low 59.8 completion percentage. Against the

Oklahoma State Cowboys The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater. The program's mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates at the National ...

, the game sparked controversy after the officials made an incorrect call that would eventually give Central Michigan the win. Oklahoma State threw the ball away to end the game and received a penalty for intentional grounding. Under college football rules, the game would have ended and Oklahoma State would have won the game. However, the officials gave Central Michigan an untimed down, and Rush threw a 51-yard Hail Mary pass to Kroll, who made a lateral to fellow receiver Corey Willis at the 12-yard line, running for a touchdown with no time remaining for a 30–27 victory. The team lost 55–10 to the

Tulsa Golden Hurricane The Tulsa Golden Hurricane are the athletic teams that represent the University of Tulsa. These teams are referred to as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (or variously as TU or Tulsa). Before adopting the name Golden Hurricane in 1922, the Universit ...

in the

2016 Miami Beach Bowl The 2016 Miami Beach Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game played on December 19, 2016 at Marlins Park in Miami, Florida. The third annual edition of the Miami Beach Bowl was one of the 2016–17 bowl games concluding the ...

at the end of the season. Rush finished his college career with 49 straight starts, 12,894 passing yards (12 yards short of Dan LeFevour's school and conference record) and 90 touchdowns.

College statistics

Professional career

Pre-draft

Coming out of Central Michigan, Rush was projected by the majority of NFL draft experts and analysts to be a seventh round pick or a priority undrafted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

. On December 6, 2016, it was announced that Rush had accepted his invitation to the

East–West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

. On January 21, 2017, Rush performed in the

for the East and completed 11 of 17 pass attempts for 97 yards in a 10–3 loss to the West. Rush received an invitation to the

NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

and performed almost all of the required drills except for the bench press. He had an underwhelming lackluster performance and had some of the lowest marks at the combine. On March 20, 2017, Rush participated at Central Michigan's

pro day The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

and chose to attempt the

vertical jump A vertical jump or vertical leap is the act of jumping upwards into the air. It can be an exercise for building both endurance and strength, and is also a standard test for measuring athletic performance. It may also be referred to as a ''Sargent ...

broad jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

, short shuttle, and

three-cone drill The three-cone drill, 3-cone drill or L-drill is a test performed by American football players. It is primarily run to evaluate the agility, quickness and fluidity of movement of players by scouts. It is most commonly seen at the NFL Combine in p ...

once again. He gave a slower time in the three-cone drill (7.28), but was able to have better results in the vertical (30"), broad (8'11"), and short shuttle (4.46). Rush was ranked the 14th best quarterback prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.

Dallas Cowboys (first stint)

2017

Rush was signed as an

by the

after the

2017 NFL draft The 2017 NFL draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...

on May 12. As a rookie, he initially competed with Zac Dysert in

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

for the job as the third-string quarterback. After Dysert suffered a

herniated disc A disc herniation or spinal disc herniation is an injury to the intervertebral disc between two vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, ...

, the Cowboys signed Luke McCown to replace him on the roster. Following multiple productive preseason performances in the Hall of Fame Game and the next two contests, Rush began to share second-team reps in practice with backup quarterback

Kellen Moore Kellen Christopher Moore (born July 5, 1988) is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who is the head coach for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Boise Sta ...

before the preseason game against the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

. During the contest, Rush was given most of the time with the second-team offense and completed 12-of-13 passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns in a 24–20 comeback victory. He finished the preseason with a total of 38 pass completions out of 51 attempts, 398 passing yards, and six touchdown passes with no interceptions. Head coach

Jason Garrett Jason Calvin Garrett (born March 28, 1966) is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He was most notably the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys from 2010 to 2019. Garrett played college f ...

named Rush the Cowboys' third quarterback on their depth chart, behind

Dak Prescott Rayne Dakota Prescott (; born July 29, 1993) is an American professional football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, twice earning first-team ...

and Moore. Rush did not dress for the first five games and was a healthy scratch. Rush was promoted to second-string for the sixth game of the season, with Moore being released and signed to the Cowboys'

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

. During a Week 7 40–10 road victory over the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

, Rush made his NFL debut. Rush appeared late in the game in relief of Prescott, completing one-of-three passes for two yards while also rushing twice for 13 yards.

2018

In 2018, Rush was the backup at quarterback from the start of organized team activities, as he never received any strong competition from rookie Mike White. Rush only played in Week 6 against the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

, closing out a 40–7 victory in the fourth quarter, where he only handed the ball to the

running backs A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. There a ...

2019

In 2019, Rush was not challenged for the backup quarterback role, so the Cowboys decided to keep only two quarterbacks on the roster, releasing White at the end of the preseason. Rush only played in the season-opener against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

and in Week 15 against the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

. He did not have any pass attempts while closing out the two wins in the fourth quarter.

2020

On March 18, 2020, Rush re-signed with the Cowboys on a one-year

restricted free agent A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in some sports leagues, such as the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), and National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the term ...

tender. On May 4, he was waived by the Cowboys after the team signed former

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

quarterback

Andy Dalton Andrew Gregory Dalton (born October 29, 1987) is an American professional football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "the Red Rifle", he played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs, wher ...

and drafting Ben DiNucci in the 7th round 231st overall.

New York Giants

On May 5, 2020, Rush was claimed off waivers by the

, reuniting with offensive coordinator

, who was his head coach with the Cowboys. On September 5, Rush was waived and signed to the practice squad the next day. On September 29, he was released from the practice squad to make room for another former Cowboys quarterback ( Clayton Thorson).

Dallas Cowboys (second stint)

2020

On October 31, 2020, Rush was signed to the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad, to provide depth after starter Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending ankle injury and backup quarterback

was in concussion protocol. Rush was elevated to the active roster on November 7 for the team's Week 9 matchup against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after the game. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Cowboys on January 4, 2021. Rush beat out Garrett Gilbert and Ben DiNucci to be the backup QB for Dallas in the 2021 NFL season.

2021

Rush was named the starter for the Cowboys Week 8 game against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

after Prescott was out with a calf injury. It was Rush's first NFL start. He threw for 325 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception, and led a comeback drive that he ended by throwing a touchdown to

Amari Cooper Amari Cooper (born June 17, 1994) is an American professional American football, football wide receiver. He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide football, Alabama Crimson Tide, winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top rec ...

in the final minute of a 20–16 road victory.

2022

On August 30, 2022, Rush was waived by the Cowboys and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was signed to the active roster on September 17, 2022, to be the starter following an injury to Dak Prescott. Rush made his first start of the season during Week 2 against the

, where he threw for 235 yards and a touchdown in the 20–17 victory. In his second start of the season against the Giants in Week 3, Rush threw for 225 yards and a touchdown during a 23–16 road victory. In the next game against the

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division ...

, in his third straight start of the season, Rush completed 15-of-27 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns with a passer rating of 107.5 during the 25–10 victory. With the victory, Rush became the first quarterback in franchise history to win his first four starts. The following week against the Rams, Rush completed 10-of-16 passes for 102 yards in a 22–10 road victory. This was his fourth straight start and win during the season. After four starts in the season, Rush had the fifth highest QBR in the NFL at 66.9. During a Week 6 26–17 road loss to the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

, he completed 18-of-38 passes for 181 yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions. Rush returned to the backup role when Prescott returned in Week 7.

2023

On March 17, 2023, Rush re-signed with the Cowboys on a two-year contract worth $6 million. He appeared in seven games, completing 18 of 24 passes for 144 yards, throwing no touchdowns and one interception.

2024

Rush was selected as the backup quarterback behind Dak Prescott for the beginning of the 2024 season, beating out Trey Lance in preseason play. Starting in Week 10, Rush took over as the starting quarterback after Prescott was sidelined with a hamstring injury. Rush earned his first win of the season in Week 12 against the

, completing 24-of-32 passes for 247 yards, two touchdowns, and zero turnovers as the Cowboys won 34–26. On

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

, Rush threw for 195 yards and a touchdown, extending the Cowboys' win streak against the

to eight games as Dallas won 27–20. In Week 15, he threw a career-high three touchdown passes in a 30–14 victory against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

. After starting every game since Prescott's injury, the Cowboys elected to start Trey Lance over Rush in the season finale against the Commanders. That switch prevented Rush from hitting a play-time incentive for the 2024 season.

Baltimore Ravens

On March 18, 2025, Rush signed a two-year, $6.2 million deal that could be worth up to $12.2 million with the

NFL career statistics

Personal life

Rush is married and has a daughter.

References

External links

Baltimore Ravens bio

Central Michigan Chippewas bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rush, Cooper Living people 1993 births People from Charlotte, Michigan Players of American football from Lansing, Michigan American football quarterbacks Central Michigan Chippewas football players Dallas Cowboys players New York Giants players