5 Cowboys on the Bubble Ahead of 2024 Training Camp

2. Cooper Rush, QB

It seems hard to imagine a world where Cooper Rush isn't backing up Dak Prescott. After all, the former Central Michigan quarterback has spent six of the last seasons with America's Team and even led the Cowboys to a 5-1 record in the six games that he was forced to start.

But even though the 30-year-old is one of the league's better backup arms, his remaining in the Lone Star State is far from guaranteed.

The main reason why Rush might not crack the roster is fellow backup QB Trey Lance. Even though the latter is largely unproven at the NFL level (just 102 passing attempts since 2021), the fact that he's only 24 and a former third-overall pick has the Cowboys believing that Lance has some untapped potential.

After all, head coach Mike McCarthy revealed in May that the Cowboys plan to make Lance a "big part" of their preseason plans. Although McCarthy didn't specify exactly what he meant by those plans, it's clear that Dallas is holding out hope that the ex-North Dakota State QB could become Prescott's successor if a contract extension for the latter doesn't come to fruition.

Given that Rush likely won't improve much more at this stage of his career, the Cowboys might decide it's the perfect time for a divorce. Prescott is still the starter and Lance has too much potential (in theory) to be stuck on the practice squad, leaving Rush as the odd man out of 53-man roster plans.