Cowboys Rumors: Delayed flight helped keep Cooper Rush in Dallas

If you think about the most underrated moves of the Dallas Cowboys offseason, re-signing Cooper Rush is right up there.

The importance of having a competent backup quarterback cannot be overstated, and Rush fits that bill and then some having led the Cowboys to a 5-1 record last season without Dak Prescott, including 4-1.

Rush didn’t light up the scoreboard by any stretch — he threw only five touchdowns in five starts (seven games) — but he did enough to keep Dallas in games, which allowed the defense to take center stage. For context, Dan Quinn’s unit allowed 15.8 points per game in Rush’s five starts.

With Prescott missing time in each of the last three seasons, the Cowboys deserve huge credit for re-signing Rush. Several NFL analysts projected Rush would reunite with Kellen Moore on the Chargers, so tip your cap to the front office for fighting off the vultures and finding a common ground.

Incredibly, though, the Chargers weren’t one of Moore’s potential landing spots … and he seemingly was close to leaving Dallas.

A delayed flight prevented Cowboys’ Cooper Rush from taking free agent visit with Raiders.

A couple days into free agency, Rush had a visit set up with the Raiders. Unfortunately, inclement weather delayed his flight and Rush was stuck for hours at Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport, per ESPN’s Todd Archer.

Archer added the Bengals expressed interested in Rush and hoped to schedule a visit with the Central Michigan product.

While sitting in the airport, Rush was notified the Cowboys made an offer. It was Dallas’ initial proposal, and Rush declined — not all that surprising knowing how the front office negotiates. The same thing happened during Donovan Wilson’s negotiations before the safety agreed to a three-year contract.

A little while later, Dallas came through with another offer.

While Rush didn’t accept it through the phone, he never boarded the flight when it finally took off. As Archer put it, Rush “took a night to sleep on the Cowboys’ offer and woke up on St. Patrick’s Day with a two-year deal worth a max of $6 million that included a $1.25 million signing bonus.”

$2.75 million guaranteed isn’t too shabby, either.

Who knows what would’ve happened if the weather on March 16 was a little more flight-friendly. What if the Cowboys don’t make an offer?

The Raiders likely would’ve made Rush a convincing offer to backup the oft-injured Jimmy Garoppolo. The same can be said for the Bengals, who currently have Jake Browning (?) slated behind the great Joe Burrow.

It would have been gutting if Rush signed elsewhere after he saved Dallas’ season. Thank you, Mother Nature.

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