A year ago, the Baltimore Ravens bought into the idea that Cooper Rush was one of the most reliable backup quarterbacks in the NFL. The veteran had spent years with the Dallas Cowboys as a stable backup before signing with Baltimore.
When Lamar Jackson missed time during the 2025 season, Rush initially stepped into the starting lineup. The Ravens quickly found out that he wasn't the solid backup they thought they had signed. In two starts, he threw for no touchdowns and four interceptions. Baltimore benched him for Tyler Huntley during an ugly loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
This offseason, the Atlanta Falcons took a chance on Rush when their top two quarterbacks went down. Just one game into the season, they're learning the same lesson that the Ravens learned last year.
Former Ravens QB Cooper Rush showed Falcons why Baltimore released him
Like many other backup quarterbacks, Cooper Rush has built his career on being stable. Throughout his time in Dallas, he didn't win many games on his own, but he was rarely the reason his team lost. In the last two seasons, that hasn't been the case.
Forced into the Falcons' starting lineup late, Rush's job was simple against the Pittsburgh Steelers: Get the ball to your talented skill position players and avoid game-breaking mistakes.
Early in the game, he stuck to the plan. He hit Bijan Robinson on a screen pass, and Robinson took it for a touchdown. The Falcons stuck with the Steelers, even leading the game for a significant portion of the first half.
Then, the mistakes came. Rush sailed a ball over the middle for an easy interception. Later, he threw a pick-six to Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt.
Throughout the game, he struggled to make reads. He held onto the ball for far too long, taking four sacks. His passes were all over the place, as he completed just over 50% of his throws.
The Falcons lost by a score of 20-13. Rush finished with a passer rating of just 51.9.
Of course, it's hard to expect much from a quarterback who was signed in the middle of training camp. He's had limited time to learn head coach Kevin Stefanski's scheme. But some of the inaccuracy was hard to excuse. Rush isn't the reliable backup quarterback that he was two years ago. After his initial showing for the Falcons, the Ravens look even smarter for releasing him this offseason.
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