Cowboys QB controversy: Mike McCarthy names Week 12 starter between Cooper Rush, Trey Lance

On Tuesday, Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed Cooper Rush will start at quarterback against the Commanders this weekend, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. However, McCarthy noted that the team will also include a package for backup QB Trey Lance.

The game on Sunday will be Rush’s third consecutive start for the Cowboys. Most recently, Rush led the Cowboys in their 34-10 loss to the Houston Texans on Monday. In the defeat, Cooper Rush completed 32-of-his-55 pass attempts for 354 yards and a touchdown while also throwing one interception.

Lance didn’t play on Monday but saw action in the team’s 34-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the previous week. In the loss, Lance completed 4-of-6 passes for 21 yards and an interception. He didn’t throw a touchdown. Alas, he recorded three carries for 17 total yards.

Ahead of their game against the Houston Texans on Monday night, the Dallas Cowboys placed quarterback Dak Prescott on injured reserve, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Prescott will not return this season.

Prescott missed the Cowboys’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last week after suffering a hamstring injury in the team’s Week 9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The Cowboys’ decision to place Prescott on the IR on Monday wasn’t their only roster move.

Dallas also signed DB Josh Butler from the practice squad and elevated TE Princeton Fant and DB Kemon Hall.

On Wednesday, Prescott underwent season-ending surgery on his hamstring. Prescott reportedly suffered a partial avulsion of his right hamstring, which means part of his tendon pulled away from the bone.

Before leaving the game against the Falcons, Prescott completed 18-of-his-24 pass attempts for 133 yards and a touchdown without throwing an interception.

Prescott, 31, had an up-and-down year after signing a lucrative contract extension ahead of the season, which made him the NFL’s highest-paid player. He completed 64.7% of his passes – the second-worst rate of his career – for 1,978 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions.