Dallas Cowboys fourth-year quarterback Trey Lance played sparingly in Sunday’s blowout defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles. Lance completed four-of-six passes for 21 yards and an interception. The dual-threat scrambler added 17 rushing yards to his offensive totals via three rushing attempts. He should continue playing meaningful snaps for the Cowboys with Dak Prescott on IR.
It was eight-year pro Cooper Rush that received the start versus the Eagles. The former undrafted free agent out of Central Michigan earned the majority of reps under center. Rush was totally ineffective, completing 13-of-23 passing attempts for 45 yards. He lost two fumbles and averaged two passing yards per attempt.
Rush is a soon-to-be 31-year-old veteran journeyman quarterback who's been with the Cowboys on and off since 2017. For some inexplicable reason, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has already confirmed that Rush will start against the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football in Week 11. The higher-upside Lance should receive that opportunity.
Cooper Rush had the 9th worst EPA per Dropback for any QB with 20+ passes in game over the last 3 years (-0.68) vs. the Eagles
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) November 11, 2024
That ranks 1,307th out of 1,315 https://t.co/UuwwMELVCY pic.twitter.com/eckvQy9Ipu
The Cowboys gained 146 yards of total offense. Rush led an offense that gained 11 first downs and scored six pathetic points. Dallas' offense converted three-of-14 third down attempts, committed four total turnovers, and punted on six occasions.
Lance, the No. 3 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, joined the Cowboys from the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a 2024 fourth-round pick. Dallas naturally declined his fifth-year rookie contract option, meaning he'll become a free agent in the offseason. Shouldn't the Cowboys be using this opportunity to gather as much information as possible on their young quarterback before deciding whether or not to re-sign him?
Everyone in the Cowboys organization is extremely familiar with Rush—his skill set has already been defined. A significantly larger sample size on Lance is required.
Cooper Rush all aboard the tank train too I see.
— Landon Holifield ✭ (@TheLandoShow) November 10, 2024
Textbook execution there, 10!
And just so we’re all clear, Rush starting over Trey Lance still makes no sense to me. pic.twitter.com/ZMR60irSFY
The decision to start Rush would make more sense if he oversaw an effective offense versus the Eagles. He certainly didn't. Rush's passer rating of 61.7 was the sixth-lowest among Week 10 quarterbacks, and his completion percentage (56.5%) was fifth lowest. His Completion Percentage Above Expectation (CPOE) was -6.7, the fourth-lowest across Week 10, according to Next Gen Stats.
The advanced analytics also indicate Lance was far more effective than Rush was. Rush posted an Expected Points Added (EPA) per play of -0.65, accompanied by a total EPA of -18.7, per RBSDM. His average depth of target (aDoT) was 6.4. By comparison, Lance posted an EPA per play of -0.42, with a total result of -4.6. Not great, but better. The former North Dakota State quarterback had an above-average aDoT of 8.0, and his CPOE of -0.8 wasn't nearly as ineffective.
The Cowboys are 3-6 and trail the Eagles (7-2) and Washington Commanders (7-3) in the NFC East by a significant margin. With Prescott sidelined potentially for the remainder of the season, Dallas i officially in wasted campaign territory. They should use the rest of their campaign to further explore young talents like Lance before he reaches free agency. Continuing to start Rush stinks of total ineptness.
