FRISCO, TX — Dak Prescott will not take the field against the Philadelphia Eagles, and the amount of time he is likely to miss will soon be determined by the Dallas Cowboys, but until he returns to the field, Mike McCarthy left no room for interpretation regarding the quarterback rotation with Cooper Rush and Trey Lance.

When the Week 10 battle kicks off Sunday at AT&T Stadium, it will be Rush who gets the nod as the starter, an expected decision by the Cowboys’ head coach.

“Cooper has played some really good football for us,” he said. “I think he’s 5-1 in his odds. Like I said, we have a lot of confidence in him.”

McCarthy then explained Rush’s true value to the organization and the locker room.

“(That record) goes way beyond 5-1,” he said of his other veteran quarterback. “Cooper Rush is as respected as a backup quarterback as anyone, I would say Rich Gannon. He has that kind of credibility. He’s a great teammate. He’s someone you can see the young guys leaning on – incredibly smart, instinctive and does it.” a great job leading the scout team.

“He just does everything the right way. An excellent professional. There will be enough confidence in him.

Rush initially joined the Cowboys in 2017 as an undrafted free agent out of Central Michigan after spending nearly his entire career as Prescott’s understudy. His only stretch away from Dallas was a brief stint with the New York Giants in 2020 , where he temporarily reunited with former Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett.

He would return in 2021 to beat Garrett Gilbert and Ben DiNucci and reclaim the QB2 role, culminating in a 20-16 victory over the Vikings in Minnesota – throwing for 25 yards and two touchdowns – in a gutsy comeback victory in US Bank Stadium when Prescott suffered a calf injury.

In 2022, with Prescott sidelined with a fracture in the thumb of his throwing hand, Rush helped lead the Cowboys to a 4-1 record, solidifying his status as one of the most reliable backup quarterbacks in the NFL.

Lance, a former third overall pick of the San Francisco 49ers, continues to develop behind Rush despite limited game reps, having seen most of his in-game work this preseason after being acquired via trade by the Cowboys a calendar year earlier .

With much less experience under his belt, Lance will serve as QB2.

“Trey Lance just has to play,” McCarthy said. “I know I’ve said that probably 20 times over the course of the preseason, and I think the fact that he was able to get reps, look at Trey, from the moment he arrived, and the things he had to work on, footwork Draft-wise and draft-wise, but also an excellent, excellent teammate. He’s a big part of our quarterback room and the way we function.

“They all have game planning and presentation responsibilities throughout the week, and Trey is doing an exceptional job in that area – especially with signaling. He’s ready to go, to be at No. 2.”

The pressure is once again on for Rush as he enters Week 10, but he’s not exactly a stranger to it. And for Lance, for the first time in his Cowboys career, it’s all about finishing at a moment’s notice.