Over the offseason, the Dallas Cowboys made Dak Prescott the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history. However, during the Cowboys’ Week 9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Prescott suffered a significant hamstring injury, which will reportedly sideline him for several weeks. Let’s examine the quarterbacks behind Prescott on the Cowboys’ depth chart.
Who Are the Dallas Cowboys’ Quarterbacks?
Prescott is obviously the Cowboys’ franchise QB, which is why they signed him to a record four-year, $240 million contract that will keep him in Dallas through the 2028 season. The veteran Cooper Rush is behind Prescott on the depth chart, with Trey Lance following behind as the team’s QB3.
Let’s break down each of the Cowboys’ quarterbacks.
Dak Prescott
The Cowboys selected Prescott with the No. 135 pick in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Dallas had veteran Tony Romo under center, but they wanted to develop a predecessor.
After Kellen Moore broke his right tibia in training camp and Romo suffered a compression fracture of his vertebra during the preseason, Prescott was thrust into the starting lineup as a rookie. He made the most of his opportunity, throwing for 3,667 yards, 23 touchdowns, and just four interceptions while rushing for 282 yards and six touchdowns. Prescott earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, and he’s continued to thrive ever since.
In 2023, Prescott recorded career highs in touchdown passes (36) and completion percentage (69.5%), along with 4,516 passing yards, which led to him finishing second in MVP voting.
For his career, Prescott has started 122 games and thrown for 31,437 yards, 213 touchdowns, and 82 interceptions with a 66.8% completion percentage (while also rushing for 1,938 yards and 29 touchdowns).
Cooper Rush
Rush signed with the Cowboys in 2017 as an undrafted free agent, and he’s been with Dallas for seven of his eight NFL seasons (with the exception of a brief stint with the New York Giants in 2020).
Throughout Rush’s NFL career, he’s 5-1 as a starter. Most notably, he filled in for Prescott when the Cowboys’ starter broke his thumb in 2022 and won in four of his five starts. Rush put the ball in the hands of Dallas’ playmakers and let them get to work. He looked composed and even led several comeback victories while starting in Prescott’s place.
MORE: Potential Trade and Free Agent Options for Dallas To Replace Dak Prescott
Pro Football Network ranked Rush as the NFL’s 15th-best backup quarterback. After Prescott exited Sunday’s game against the Falcons with his hamstring injury, Rush stepped in and completed 13 of 25 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown.
For his career, Rush has appeared in 27 games, completing 165 of 275 passes (60%) for 1,785 yards, nine touchdowns, and six interceptions.
In 2023, Rush signed a two-year, $5 million contract to stay with the Cowboys, including a $1,250,000 signing bonus, $2,750,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $2,500,000.
Trey Lance
Last year, the Cowboys acquired Lance from the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a 2024 fourth-round pick (which became safety Malik Mustapha).
Lance was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the 49ers. However, he’s started just four games (and appeared in eight) since entering the NFL.
In 2021, Lance played six games, throwing for 603 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions while rushing for 168 yards and a touchdown. In 2022, he suffered a season-ending ankle injury after just two games. That year, Brock Purdy ended up starting nine games for the 49ers and looked excellent, so Lance never got his starting job back.
In 2023, Lance was named the third-string quarterback behind Purdy and Sam Darnold, and then San Francisco ultimately traded him to Dallas. Lance has yet to appear in a regular-season game with the Cowboys.
Dallas declined Lance’s fifth-year option, so he’ll be a free agent after this season. The 24-year-old has potential, but he’s clearly a project who needs to continue developing, as evidenced by his five-interception game against the Los Angeles Chargers during the 2024 preseason.
With their season on the line, it seems unlikely that the Cowboys would hand the reins over to Lance rather than Rush, especially considering the latter has more experience with the system and better chemistry with Dallas’ receivers.
Lance’s last regular-season action came in Week 2 of the 2022 NFL season.