The Cooper Rush experiment in Dallas Cowboys is officially over — at least in the eyes of the fans. After another disappointing loss, the frustration is real, and Cowboy Nation is calling for a change. With Rush failing to impress, the conversation shifted to Trey Lance.
Fans are eager to see what the young QB can do and some believe it’s time to give him a shot.
Cooper Rush Out, Trey Lance in?
The Rush experiment is officially a flop in Dallas, and fans are making it loud and clear: it’s time to start Lance. Following the Cowboys’ embarrassing 34-10 loss to the Houston Texans, NFL reporter Jane Slater tweeted, “Look, I like Cooper Rush and not a lot around him, BUT you traded for Trey Lance. At this point, you gotta see what ya got there.”
The reaction from Cowboys Nation was mixed. One fan summed it up with, “Start Trey Lance next week. this is some bull.”
Start Trey Lance next week. this is some bull #CowboysNation
— NC (@nchambers2) November 19, 2024
Clearly, the frustration is building. Another fan argued that after two teams — San Francisco 49ers and Cowboys — passed on Lance, the QB might not be the solution: “I think it’s pretty clear after the 49ers bailed on him after all those practices and the Cowboys see him daily that he ain’t it Jane. 2 separate teams have seen him in their building on the daily and both passed up playing him.”
I think it’s pretty clear after the 49ers bailed on him after all those practices and the cowboys see him daily that he ain’t it Jane.
2 separate teams have seen him in their building on the daily and both passed up playing him
— Morgan (@Chef_Appleby) November 19, 2024
But not everyone’s ready to give up on the 24-year-old. One tweeted, “Yes, please!!!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 I’d rather see what Trey Lance can do the rest of the season.”
Yes, please!!!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
I’d rather see what Trey Lance can do the rest of the season. pic.twitter.com/FrehsMcoVa
— MikeTX (@miketx95) November 19, 2024
The call for change continues. “Please let the Cooper Rush experiment be over,” another fan posted, echoing the growing impatience with Rush’s lackluster performances. Meanwhile, some fans are already planning for the future, saying, “Best we can hope for is, Dallas is as bad as they look. So they can’t miss getting a top draft pick. But if any team could screw up and win a few more games to miss out of a top 3 pick would be Jerry’s Cowboy’s.”
With each passing week, the pressure on Rush and the Cowboys’ front office intensifies. Jerry Jones may still believe in the team’s playoff potential, but fans are eager for a shift in direction — starting with Lance under center. It’s clear: the clock’s ticking on Rush.
Jerry Jones Admits to Struggles
After a preseason to forget (five interceptions and three sacks in a 26-19 loss to the Chargers), the Cowboys owner still backed the 24-year-old QB by keeping him on the roster heading into the season. The young signal-caller did show some flashes, which is why it was such a surprise that the team went with Rush after Dak Prescott’s season-ending injury. But now, after two straight losses, change might be coming.
Jones was asked about the Houston loss after the game, and he did not pull back any punches. “That was a hard one. Thought we’d have a better accounting of how we played. We didn’t. And we are looking ahead now that we have a hole and we all understand it”.
Jones was then asked about the embarrassing fact that the team has yet to win at home. “I don’t know if there is anything but the obvious. That is we aren’t playing very well. Happens we are doing it at home, for sure. We had a big run of home games that we haven’t done it. We just aren’t playing well in several things out there. for all the games”
He is not wrong, they aren’t playing well. Rush is a big part of the reason. In PFN’s proprietary QB+ metric, the Cowboys QB finished this game with a D+ grade.
“Truthfully, it would have been nearly impossible for the Dallas Cowboys offense and Rush to play worse than they did last week. Rush was still the fourth-lowest graded quarterback of the week, nothing to brag about on the report card. The Cowboys’ substitute QB1 had the worst EPA per dropback when pressured (-1.07) of any passer in Week 11, highlighted by a disastrous strip-sack scoop-and-score,” PFN wrote.
The writing should be on the wall at this point. But with a lame-duck head coach, a lost season, and a fanbase that’s turned on him, maybe Jones will be content just riding into the offseason with Rush losing as many games as possible for a higher draft pick. But, if he wants to see what he has in Lance, a change needs to happen sooner rather than later.