'Pressure's On Dak': Why Dallas Cowboys Need QB Prescott Over Cooper Rush

"If (the Cowboys) are ever going to (reach expectations), it's with Dak Prescott playing at a high level,'' said Alex Smith, the former NFL QB now working at ESPN.

FRISCO - It is not an insult to suggest that Cooper Rush has probably hit his ceiling. Meanwhile, one NFL expert thinks the Dallas Cowboys need Dak Prescott back in order to reach theirs.

"If they are ever going to (reach expectations), it's with Dak Prescott playing at a high level,'' said Alex Smith, the former NFL QB now working at ESPN.

The Cowboys are on a three-game winning streak without quarterback Prescott under center as he rehabs from a broken thumb with plans to play next week at the Eagles on Sunday night. In Week 5? It'll be backup quarterback Rush again doing more than being "just a game manager,'' as coach Mike McCarthy insists - but also playing within himself.

Rush's success in doing that (3-0 this year and 4-0 lifetime as a journeyman sub turned starter) has caused some to wonder if he should get consideration for keeping the job, even when Dak is healthy.

The Cowboys, inside The Star, think that's nonsensical. And there is no "QB controversy'' inside the locker room, the only place where such a thing really matters. 

But Smith's answer to the question comes with great clarity. There is a level of play that Dak has achieved in his career that Rush is not likely destined to achieve - a level of play that was in place for much of last season, when Dallas went 12-5 and was in most every category a top-three NFL offense.

The Cowboys under Rush are winning with defense and feeling successful if they score more than 20 points.

The Cowboys with Prescott were/are literally designed to be able to win games by scoring more than 30 points.

The Cowboys have learned a lot with Cooper Rush, but Dak is QB1 🤠

"If they are ever going to [live up to expectations] it's with Dak Prescott playing at a high level." —Alex Smith pic.twitter.com/GlxaGwq2cD

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 3, 2022

"I think we gotta remember this is a team that shipped off Amari Cooper, no Michael Gallup, Tyron Smith gets hurt," Smith said. "Before the season even started, all of the pressure was on Dak ...''

That pressure exists for Rush in a sense, as he readies to be the first-teamer in a Week 5 showdown at the Los Angeles Rams. But next week at the undefeated Eagles, Dallas' top NFC East rival?

The pressure returns, at a higher level.

And, the Cowboys believe, so does Dak Prescott.

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