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If 52 spots were secure and you had one left to give out, would you rather spend it on Cooper Rush or Noah Brown?
The Dallas Cowboys are going to be facing some tough decisions when it comes down to 53-man roster time. The latest preseason win against the Indianapolis Colts helped the cases for some, and hurt them for others.
Let’s get hypothetical and say that we’re locked in with 52 roster spots. Within that set are the obvious guys plus Rico Gathers and Rod Smith. Say you have one spot left and you’re down to Cooper Rush and Noah Brown. Who do you choose?
The case for Cooper Rush
The legend of Cooper Rush has grown significantly over the preseason, and anyone with eyes can tell you that he’s seemingly more equipped to be the man backing up Dak Prescott (Dak-ing up Dak? Anyone?).
Yes, his snaps are against players that likely won’t be on the 53-man squad this fall, but the Central Michigan product brings more to the Cowboys offense than the current QB2 on the roster. Throughout this preseason, Rush has been making a strong argument to be the Dallas Cowboys’ primary backup quarterback this fall.
He may just turn out to be another preseason star, but Cooper Rush looks to be the Dallas Cowboys best option on the roster if something were to happen to Dak Prescott. Cooper Rush’s potential, combined with Kellen Moore’s limitations, makes the undrafted rookie an intriguing option behind Dak.
Cooper has been fantastic through three preseason games, but as our own Cole Patterson notes - this is the preseason. As true as that is, Kellen Moore has been terrible in the same light of opportunity. This is no longer just a cute little project, this is indisputable data.
Cooper Rush through 3 preseason games: 26-38 for 283 yards and 4 touchdowns. Passer rating of 125.2.
Most importantly; zero turnovers.
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) August 20, 2017
You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone, save for the Moores and Scott Linehan, that believe Kellen Moore deserves a roster spot over Cooper Rush. As Cowboys fans we know the horror of not being prepared behind QB1 (Kellen Moore was a part of that horror FYI Scott Linehan but facts or whatever) and in the interest of hedging things as best we can, this makes keeping Cooper Rush a very logical proposition.
Noah Brown though...
There might not be a bigger contingency of Noah Brown enthusiasts than that within the hallowed halls of BTB. A catch for 19 yards and six points fanned those flames during the win over the Colts.
It wasn’t all sunshine, roses, and declarations of greatness for Noah Brown against Indianapolis, though. Brown offers a lot of talent and size coveted among wide receivers, but he had a moment that no one approves of when he took a cheap shot against Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez.
Cheap shot by Noah Brown. Not cool on any level. pic.twitter.com/VPkJdPcjTL
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) August 20, 2017
Brown drew a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness, and it’s easy to understand why. If you’re a Noah Brown truther, this moment didn’t do a whole lot to help his chances at making the 53-man roster, and they dwindled even more when Cooper Rush came in and did his thing.
Penalty aside, there was a lot to like about what Noah Brown did during the game. His size is hard to ignore in the redzone, and even harder to stop defensively, which is what led to his touchdown. The obstacle for him remains whether or not the Cowboys will carry six wide receivers, and neither Andy Jones nor Lance Lenoir are doing much to challenge Brown for that would-be job.
This could all come down to whether you feel like three quarterbacks or six wide receivers help the Cowboys more in the end. Cooper Rush provides a potential actual backup quarterback, and Noah Brown presents an interesting weapon for Dak Prescott, not to mention he provides insurance for what may be the departure of Brice Butler next season (he’s in another contract year).
How do you feel, BTB? If it were up to you, and you had 52 spots cemented, would you carry Cooper Rush or Noah Brown? Why?
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