The Dallas Cowboys were handed a shock in the opening week of the 2022 NFL season when their first-choice quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a broken thumb, which is forcing him to get surgery. It will also keep the 29-year-old out for six to eight weeks, meaning backup quarterback Cooper Rush is now first in line to be handed a start in their next game against Cincinnati Bengals in week 2.

Rush replaced Prescott for the final six minutes of the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Cooper was part of the Cowboys’ practice squad even a few months before but had made his NFL debut already beforehand. It is also the second time he will be replacing an injured Prescott, the first time of which came in week 8 of the 2021 NFL season when he made his first NFL start against the Minnesota Vikings, a game the Cowboys won 20-16.

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Who is Cooper Rush?

Cooper Rush was born on November 21, 1993, in Charlotte, Michigan. He attended the Lansing Catholic High School in Lansing, Michigan and was the quarterback for their football team. He was also interested in basketball and baseball while growing up and practiced them before his freshman year.

As a quarterback, Rush led his team to consecutive undefeated seasons and won the Michigan runner-up title in 2011. He set a state record of 5 touchdown passes in a single quarter and eight for the entire game that year.

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Rush received All-State, Michigan Division 5/6 Player of the Year of Associated Press and Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year of ESPN later in his senior year.

After finishing high school, Rush received scholarships from Central Michigan and Toledo but opted for walk-on offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, and Western Michigan.

He became Scout Team Player of the Year at Central Michigan as freshman. While he was the third-choice quarterback in his freshman year in College, he started in the third game. Central Michigan won the game 24-21 after trailing in the first two quarters. He also registered 326 passing yards and 3 touchdowns in that game, which was also the school record for the longest pass in history.

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In four years of college football, Rush registered 1,022 successful passes out of 1,648, 12,891 passing yards, 90 touchdown passes and 55 interceptions. Dallas Cowboys signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2017.

The quarterback has made 11 appearances since 2017 for the Cowboys and has been used primarily as a backup. Rush has completed 38 successful passes out of 63, 488 yards, and three touchdowns in these 11 matches.