The Dallas Cowboys have lost their seven-year backup quarterback to the Baltimore Ravens in free agency.

Cooper Rush agreed to a two-year contract worth up to $12.2M with the Ravens on Sunday, per Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. Rush made 38 appearances and 14 starts as a member of the Cowboys, throwing for 3,463 yards, 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Dallas also went 9-5 in the games that Rush started under center.

The organization will now undergo a QB search, and it appears that the NFL Draft could be a preferred option for a replacement behind Dak Prescott.

COO Stephen Jones on the Cowboys’ backup quarterback, via Rapoport:

“We will evaluate the whole situation. You’re always wanting to have a young guy coming, that’s always a preference, and certainly that’s something we’ll look at in the draft is to see if there’s a young guy to start bringing along. Obviously we were focused on Trey Lance there when we traded for him and he was our young guy if you will, that we were bringing along. But all of those are things that we will start to evaluate with this draft, coach Schottenheimer, coach [Steve] Shimko, and Clayton [Adams] and that group, what’s available out there, what’s going to be in the draft and make the best decision in terms of what we’re going to have behind Dak.”

In Prescott’s absence during the 2024-25 campaign, Rush completed 187 passes for 1,844 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Cowboys will replace Cooper Rush in the NFL Draft

Holding 10 available picks entering the NFL Draft next month, it’s likely that the Cowboys will be walking away with a new member of the QB room.

Seeing how Dallas has the No. 12 pick, selecting a signal-caller at that spot would be a bit of a reach, given the dearth of first-round prospects.

That said, the Cowboys could swing back in Rounds 2 or 3 and get themselves a Jaxson Dart, or a Quinn Ewers.