Cooper Rush [608x342]
Cooper Rush [608x342] (Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports)

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FRISCO, Texas -- As Cooper Rush addressed the media outside the Dallas Cowboys' locker room Thursday, the voice of tight end Jake Ferguson boomed over the noise.

"If you see a quick flash of red on Sunday, don't be afraid," Ferguson said. "It's just No. 10."

The red-haired Rush smiled, knowing that Ferguson dressed as him on Halloween, even dyeing his beard to match Rush.

While it was a lighthearted comment, it spoke to the confidence the Cowboys have in their backup quarterback as they prepare for at least a month without Dak Prescott because of a severe hamstring injury, beginning Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS).

Rush is in his seventh season. He has appeared in 30 games, but Sunday will be only the seventh start of his career. Still, he has managed a 5-1 record, including four wins in five starts in 2022 after Prescott suffered a broken right thumb in the season opener.

And there is an historical footnote to Sunday: If Rush beats the Eagles, he will join Roger Staubach and Prescott as the only quarterbacks in Cowboys' history to win six of their first seven career starts.

"Red's part of this team," said Ferguson, whose first career touchdown catch came from Rush. "We talk about 4 [Prescott] a lot, but a lot of people don't understand how hard Coop works. And you see it day in, day out, and you know when he's thrown in the fire that he's red and he is the fire."

But Rush is content to avoid the limelight, even as he temporarily takes over "America's Team" for however long. His personality is more quiet than boisterous, but that does not mean he lacks confidence. While teammates know when Prescott walks in the locker room, just from his presence, they might not know Rush is in the room.

However, his corner locker close to the equipment room comes with a purpose. Those spots are reserved for players considered leaders by the coaches.

"I think I've had to learn to be more vocal," Rush said. "But I'm more comfortable now and things like that. I've been around for a while and that helps."

Rush's demeanor is a plus.

"He's unflappable," offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. "I mean he's very calm. It's hard to tell whether he's playing great, we're playing great. I think that's a sign of a really, really good quarterback. He doesn't give highs and lows. He's like these professional golfers that you see and you don't know if shot 8 under or 8 over. I think that speaks to his experience."

Said wide receiver CeeDee Lamb: "Confident, man. He knows what it takes to win. He knows he has what it takes to win. That's half the battle. The rest, you've just got to go out there and do it. Talk is cheap."

While the connection between Lamb and Prescott has been among the NFL's best, albeit with a slow start to this season, the connection between Lamb and Rush has been good as well. In Rush's six starts, Lamb has 36 receptions for 457 yards and two touchdowns.

"He's pretty easy to throw to," Rush said. "The guy gets open. He's got good body language, size, all of that. He's been awesome this week, in terms of communicating with me, letting me know what's going on, how he sees certain things. It's guys I've played with before. I watch them practice, so it doesn't take too long to get back in rhythm with him."

Lamb's absence from the offseason program and training camp played a part in the slow start with Prescott in 2024, so the same could happen with Rush.

"You can't really go so much off of what you've done in the past year. Granted, we still have the confidence in him. Don't get it twisted," Lamb said. "But with that, I know he's ready to go out there and deliver. I know he's prepared all week. Can't wait to see it."

Coach Mike McCarthy joked the differences between Prescott and Rush start with their jersey numbers (Nos. 4 and 10) and throwing motions, but he feels the Cowboys don't need to overhaul their offense.

"Cooper has a lot of experience," McCarthy said. "He has played a lot of football. He has been playing football since preschool. He's that type of guy. He's that type of player."

His numbers as a starter are modest, but he threw for 325 yards in his first start in 2021 against the Minnesota Vikings, a 20-16 win that included the game-winning touchdown pass with 51 seconds to play. In his other five starts, he did not throw for more than 235 yards. His best trait was avoiding turnovers, going without an interception in four of the five starts in 2022.

But he has beaten Joe Burrow. He has beaten a first-round pick in Daniel Jones. He has beaten the No. 2 pick in the 2016 draft, Carson Wentz. He has beaten the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft and Super Bowl champion Matthew Stafford. He has beaten Kirk Cousins.

His only loss has come against the quarterback he will face Sunday, Jalen Hurts.

Before that game in 2022 at Lincoln Financial Field, Prescott went through a prolonged pregame workout to test his broken thumb, and it was almost assured Prescott would play the following week. But Rush was intercepted twice in the first half as the Eagles jumped out to a 20-0 lead. The Cowboys closed to within 20-17 early in the fourth quarter, but their comeback was thwarted by Rush's third interception.

"Yeah, I remember a tough first half. Fell down there," Rush said. "I was really proud of how we came back. That was a very good defense, a very good Philly team. Obviously, you want throws back and things like that, but it's always fun playing up in Philly. It's a cool environment. So it'll be exciting to play against them again."

Rush is excited for the opportunity, even if you couldn't tell by his demeanor.

"I think it helps at quarterback. Calm, cool, collected, good decision-making," Rush said. "It's kind of what QBs have to do. You have to stay level because you are making a million decisions every play."