ExtremeRavens Posted yesterday at 09:00 AM Posted yesterday at 09:00 AM The life of an NFL backup quarterback has to be one of the greatest jobs in America. They get on TV consistently, usually wearing a baseball cap backward. They eat great meals and stay in luxurious hotels. They get to work out daily and their bodies don’t get mangled every Sunday like starters. It certainly beats digging a ditch or moving furniture for a living. “You don’t have to be Superman, you’ve just got to go play football, get the ball to the fast guys, and that’s kind of the mentality,” Ravens backup quarterback Cooper Rush said. “You have to trust the guys around you, and believe me, there are a lot of fast guys here.” The Ravens signed Rush, 31, to a two-year deal in March worth $6.2 million, which could climb as high as $12.2 million. Without question, he is one of the best backups in team history, certainly one of the most established with no apologies to former predecessors such as Tyler Huntley, Tyrod Taylor, Anthony Wright, Chris Redman and Eric Zeier. He’s the quarterback the Ravens need if two-time NFL Most Valuable Player and starter Lamar Jackson goes down with an injury. The Ravens now have a proven investment, and Rush saw the same advantage of playing in Baltimore. “This came out of nowhere, but we’re really happy with it,” Rush said. “Obviously, this is a loaded roster, a team that is competing every year. They wanted someone who can go in and help out when needed. With them being such a good team, it was a pretty easy decision.” It’s another sign of the urgency for Baltimore to get to the Super Bowl this year. Few teams invest in a backup with such a high profile, but since the 2021 season, Rush played in 38 games with the Dallas Cowboys, starting 14. He has a 9-5 record in those contests, replacing Cowboys starter Dak Prescott. In an eight-year NFL career, Rush has completed 60.7% of his passes for 3,463 yards with 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His career passer rating is 83.8. That’s pretty impressive. “This has been a good change of scenery for us and the family. I’m enjoying it,” said Rush, who has two daughters. “Having good teams help. We had a couple of good teams in Dallas and you have to be ready for the opportunity to just go do your job. You kind of remind yourself, you know how to play football, you’ve done it your whole life.” The move to sign Rush was interesting because he doesn’t possess Jackson’s improvisation and scrambling abilities that take the Ravens’ offense to another level. Actually, few do, as Jackson threw for 4,172 yards last season and ran for 915. Ravens quarterback Cooper Rush works out during OTAs earlier this offseason. Rush appeared in 12 games for the Cowboys this past season, throwing 12 touchdown passes and five interceptions. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Rush is more of a traditional passer, born to throw first and run only if necessary. The mix and match with the Ravens’ offense is intriguing because they can go big with running back Derrick Henry, fullback Patrick Ricard and tight ends Mark Andrews or Charlie Kolar, or spread a team out with three- or four-receiver sets featuring DeAndre Hopkins, Rashod Bateman, Zay Flowers and Tylan Wallace. “This offense is so multiple,” Rush said. “Obviously with Lamar, you can do a lot more in the run game than someone like me. But you have a really deep tight end room as well as running back room with different bodies and speeds. Watch the tape. You can do pretty much anything. “You see that, and as a quarterback, you find where you fit it. You’re not going to be Lamar Jackson, he is special, but a lot of quarterbacks can come in here and do well.” Rush won’t compare Jackson and Prescott. On the field, they are similar in a lot of ways. In nine years in Dallas, Prescott, 32, has thrown for 31,437 yards with 213 touchdowns and 82 interceptions. Entering his eighth season in Baltimore at age 28, Jackson has thrown for 20,059 yards with 166 touchdowns and 49 interceptions. Jackson has a career passer rating of 102.0. There are other similarities that neither wants to talk about. Prescott is 2-5 in the postseason, while Jackson is 3-5. Regardless, both are extreme competitors. “Yeah, I was with Dak for a long time so obviously we were both comfortable there,” Rush said. “I studied Lamar from afar but now we’re in the same room. It’s pretty special to see what he does from day to day. They both have this competitiveness about them, the effort they put in practice, how much they care. “Getting to know Lamar, obviously, it’s been a short time. I look forward to getting to know Lamar throughout the season.” Rush will go back to face the Cowboys on Aug. 16 in preseason game No. 2, but the expectations are different in each city. Dallas has a first-year coach in Brian Schottenheimer, and the Cowboys are coming off a 7-10 season, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The Ravens are a preseason favorite to win a Super Bowl title. If Jackson goes down with a serious injury, it would be hard for Rush to duplicate Jackson’s past success. But if Jackson is injured and out only out for a few games, the Ravens think they have the answer in Rush, the perfect “stop gap” quarterback. Rush struggled in the spring but has looked better early in training camp. It’s all about learning a new coordinator, his system and receivers. “I think I adjusted pretty quickly in spring. I got a bunch of reps with the starters, which was huge for me to dive into and get a better understanding,” Rush said. “It takes a minute for sure, but the more you watch, even with Lamar working with them, you’re watching how those guys run, how they like to get open out of their breaks and you try to get as much information as you can when you’re out there with them. Overall, I’m in a good situation.” Apparently, the Ravens felt the same way. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article Quote
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