The Dallas Cowboys quarterback landscape has undergone significant change over the last 13 months. It was only that long ago that Tony Romo was entrenched as the starter, Kellen Moore was his back-up and rookie Dak Prescott was competing to earn a spot as the third stringer. Fast forward to week 1 of the 2017 NFL season and now Dak Prescott has secured his spot as the new starter, meanwhile Kellen Moore’s job as the back-up is being challenged by an undrafted rookie free agent named Cooper Rush.
Notwithstanding the Ezekiel Elliott suspension drama, Cooper Rush has been the biggest story of the preseason. Rush has been absolutely brilliant in his 4 appearances. Moore conversely, has been unimpressive to put it mildly. No doubt Rush is the fan favorite to win the back-up job, but the Cowboys coaching staff is reluctant to give up on Moore just yet. After all, throwing an undrafted rookie to the wolves if Prescott goes down does not inspire confidence no matter how well he played against third stringers.
One thing most Cowboy fans can agree on is that we all hope it does not come down to Rush or Moore with the season on the line. This team will only go as far as Dak Prescott takes them. Some experts fear he will experience a sophomore slump. He does face additional challenges such as a difficult schedule, defenses that are better prepared to game plan against him and he lacks the veteran presence on the sideline he had last year with Romo and Mark Sanchez. I am not concerned about those challenges. I believe that with an entire offseason of preparation, he will prove that last season was no fluke. He will certainly throw for more than the 4 interceptions he threw as a rookie; but I also believe he will throw for more yards, more touchdowns and continue to make big time clutch plays.