Backing up Baltimore Ravens superstar Lamar Jackson might be one of the important jobs in the NFL.
Early on, the Ravens seem more than happy with having to turn things over to Cooper Rush if disaster strikes.
Obviously, for Baltimore and every other Super Bowl contender with a world-class quarterback, the season is almost certainly going to go up in flames if the No. 1 goes down for an extended period of time.
Backup QB More Important for Ravens Than Most Teams
The Ravens know this as well as anyone else, of course, with Jackson’s injury history. It’s no small accomplishment that the two-time MVP winner played in all 17 games for the Ravens last season. Prior to doing so, he missed at least one game in five straight seasons, including a pair of 12-game seasons in 2021 and 2022. Baltimore went 3-7 in the games he missed.
Rush can’t be expected to play anywhere close to Jackson’s level if there’s a long-term injury. But Baltimore sounds confident he can keep things on the track if and when there’s a Jackson absence.
Such was the case at practice Monday where Jackson was missing due to an excused absence. That could have been a blessing in disguise for the Ravens, who were able to turn the controls over to Rush, who got an extended chance to run offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s system.
He handled himself well, it seems.
“He just gets it,” Monken told reporters, per ESPN.com. “You don’t make it as long as he has without understanding what’s asked of you through your system and yet knowing your liabilities as a player. I think he’s maximized that. He knows where to go with the ball. He knows when to get it out on time. He understands concepts. That’s what makes him a true pro.”
Cooper Rush Brings Veteran Presence to Ravens’ QB2
Ultimately, that’s all you can ask of a veteran backup. It’s not like he hasn’t done it before, either. The 31-year-old Central Michigan product got a handful of chances to prove his worth over seven years with the Dallas Cowboys. After Dak Prescott went down with a season-ending hamstring injury in 2024, Rush was thrust into action. The 3-4 Cowboys didn’t get any worse with Rush under center, going 4-5 in the games he started down the stretch.
Rush flashed borderline brilliance in a few of those games, too, with three starts in which he posted a passer rating of 100 or better. The most impressive might have been a Week 12 win in Washington where he outdueled Jayden Daniels on the road, completing 24 of 32 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns.
The Ravens would sign up for that sort of performance in a heartbeat, if faced with losing Jackson for a week or two. To Monken’s point, Rush largely did a good job of protecting the football. He threw two picks in an ugly 41-7 loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, but in his eight games leading up to that, he threw just two interceptions in 266 attempts.
Rush’s 1.8% career interception rate is just more evidence of a capable decision-maker.
Add it all up, and it’s easy to see why the Ravens were comfortable giving him a two-year deal with a considerable amount of guaranteed money.
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