Cowboys: Why Cooper Rush and Rod Smith should start Saturday
By Reid Hanson
Here’s why the Cowboys should start quarterback Cooper Rush and running back Rod Smith against the Oakland Raiders on Saturday
Cowboys Nation is going crazy for two unlikely preseason stars: Cooper Rush, an undrafted free agent out of Central Michigan and Rod Smith, the third-year pro and lesser-regarded brother of guy named Jaylon.
Both players entered Cowboys Camp without much fanfare. Cooper Rush appeared no better than a third string quarterback destined for the practice squad. Rod Smith was just an undrafted player from last year who used to play fullback.
But these unlikely heroes has been all the talk of the preseason for Cowboys Nation. Sure, there were a couple suspensions that grabbed a few headlines (sarcasm intended) but it’s these bubble players that’s captivating everyone’s minds these days.
Cooper Rush
The Cooper Rush debate really isn’t a debate at all. EVERYONE wants Cooper Rush to take the QB2 reigns from the frighteningly unimpressive Kellen Moore. It’s likely the only ones honestly on the Kellen Moore bandwagon are Kellen, Scott Linehan, and the Boise State faithful.
Moore has 382 yards passing on 55 attempts. He has one touchdown and one interception. It’s not that Kellen Moore’s stats are that terrible, it’s that he’s looked terrible getting them. He rarely throws the ball past the first down marker and seemingly relies on his receivers to advance the ball past the sticks. As we all know from 2015, this is ridiculously easy to scheme against defensively.
Cooper Rush, on the other hand, has been a baller. He’s passed for 283 yards on only 38 attempts. He has zero interceptions and four touchdowns. He’s delivered some absolutely beautiful passes along the way and has no problem stretching the field.
Rod Smith
Rod Smith entered camp on the wrong side of the bubble. Until, at least, we learned of Ezekiel Elliott’s pending suspension. Besides being a good special team player, we knew very little of the guy. He was Jaylon Smith’s brother. He played at Ohio State. And he played fullback last year with Keith Smith (no relation).
But Rod has looked dynamite thus far. As a natural halfback, not fullback, Smith shed the weight and hit the ground running in camp. With 26 rushes for 119 yards, he leads the team in preseason carries and yards. But like the QB situation above, it’s not just the raw number that tell the story, it’s the way he’s getting those numbers.
Rod Smith is more of a natural zone runner than Darren McFadden and he’s more athletically gifted than Alfred Morris. He’s the best of both worlds. He may not have the pedigree and track record of the other two, but he looks every bit their equal. The real question is – is he better than their equal?
More from Dallas Cowboys
- West coast, Texas coast, burnt toast: Cowboys don’t need more runs
- Brandin Cooks will change the way defenses play the Dallas Cowboys
- Why the Dallas Cowboys defensive X-Factor is EDGE Sam Williams
- Dallas Cowboys: 3 head coach options if McCarthy fails in 2023
- Dallas Cowboys: Is CB Jourdan Lewis a tradeable asset?
Why they must start
Call me overconfident but I feel great about Dak Prescott. I don’t need him to play on Saturday to prove it. He’ll be ready to ball once the regular season arrives, we all know it. I also feel confident I know all there is to know about Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris. No amount of carries is going to change that on Saturday.
What I don’t know is how Cooper Rush and Rod Smith stack up against starters. All of their stats have been accumulated against backups of varying degrees.
Just because you can play against backups does not mean you can play against starters. And starters are what they’d likely see against Oakland on Saturday.
The truth is Kellen Moore and Darren McFadden have faced stiffer competition these first few weeks. It should be expected their competition is doing better statistically considering they are playing against players who aren’t even going to make an NFL team.
That’s why the Cowboys should start Cooper Rush and Rod Smith on Saturday. To see exactly what they have.
Cooper Rush and Rod Smith have been preseason standouts this summer. Can they continue to impress when facing NFL starters? We can’t say, that’s why they need to start on Saturday.