Jerry Jones' comments suggest this Cowboys free agent will join Chargers
By Jason Reed
The LA Chargers and Dallas Cowboys have been interconnected this offseason as Kellen Moore agreed to part ways with Dallas in order to join Brandon Staley coaching staff in Los Angeles. Now, head coach Mike McCarthy is going to call plays for the Cowboys.
That is a precarious situation to be in given McCarthy's past while Moore has already started to win over Chargers fans before he even coaches a single practice. All things considered, it appears that the Chargers got the better end of this deal.
The deal could be sweetened in the coming weeks as well if there are any Cowboys free agents who follow Moore to the Chargers. Los Angeles does not have much to spend in free agency but the team can bring in a minimum free agent or two thanks to Moore's influence.
Perhaps the most likely Cowboys free agent to join the Chargers is backup quarterback Cooper Rush, who started several games for Dallas last season and played well. It does not appear that Dallas is going to shift the earth to bring Rush back, either, as Jerry Jones is already committing to using draft capital on a quarterback this year.
Jerry Jones said the Cowboys are committed to drafting a quarterback. He said he should have committed to drafting one every year years ago.
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) February 1, 2023
This makes it very likely that Cooper Rush follows Kellen Moore from the Cowboys to the Chargers.
Dallas drafting a quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft does not guarantee that they will not re-sign Rush. There certainly is room for the team to bring Rush back into the fold while also drafting a young quarterback to add to the room. That being said, it is certainly less likely that the team will re-sign Rush under these circumstances.
The stars are aligning for Rush to come to Los Angeles to back up Justin Herbert. He would be following the offensive coordinator who he worked closely with that elevated him while he was a starter. That is a far better situation than joining some random team with no connections.
Plus, it is not like Rush is going to get a starting job anywhere else. It would be one thing if he was a fringe starter like Andy Dalton. If that was the case, he would definitely want to go to a team where the QB situation is unclear so he can get a chance. That is not the situation Rush is in and he is going to be a backup no matter what.
Los Angeles needs a backup quarterback as well. Chase Daniel is likely retiring now that his contract is expired and it seems very unlikely that the Chargers will re-sign Easton Stick. Drafting a quarterback late in the 2023 NFL Draft is a possibility but Rush would be a far better option.
There are two huge benefits of adding Rush behind Herbert. First of all, he is someone who the Chargers can be confident in at least holding down the fort if Herbert did have to miss a short amount of time with an injury. Second, he is someone who is very experienced in Moore's offense and can add a lot of value to Herbert and the rest of the QB room.
Signing Rush is a no-brainer and thanks to Jerry Jones' desire to draft a quarterback, the Chargers may not have any competition whatsoever.