You’ve seen the highlights of the red-haired backup slinging it under the lights at AT&T Stadium. Maybe you’ve even seen him briefly in a Ravens jersey lately. But if you’re looking at cooper rush rushing stats expecting to see some dual-threat magic, you’re in for a reality check.
Cooper Rush is many things. He’s a winner. He’s a reliable backup. He’s the guy who stepped in for Dak Prescott and somehow kept the Dallas Cowboys' season alive more than once. But he is most definitely not Lamar Jackson. Honestly, he’s not even Kirk Cousins when it comes to picking up yards with his legs.
The Reality of Cooper Rush Rushing Stats
When people talk about modern NFL quarterbacks, they usually mention mobility. It's almost a requirement now. But Rush is a throwback. He is a pure pocket passer. If he's running, something has gone terribly, terribly wrong.
Let's look at the actual numbers because they tell a pretty hilarious story of a guy who really, really prefers to stand still. Over his entire NFL career, which has spanned nearly a decade at this point, Rush has accumulated a grand total of 20 rushing yards. No, that is not a typo. Twenty yards. Total.
Breaking Down the Seasons
It’s almost impressive how little he moves. In 2017, his debut year, he actually had his "biggest" rushing performance. He carried the ball twice for 13 yards. One of those was a 15-yard scamper. That’s still his career long! Since then, it’s been a series of negative numbers and kneel-downs.
Look at 2021. He played five games and ended the season with negative 8 rushing yards. Why? Because sacks and victory formation kneels count against your rushing total in the NFL. In 2023, it was more of the same—12 attempts for a "blistering" loss of 5 yards.
Then came 2024. This was a busier year for Rush in Dallas. He stepped in for 12 games and logged 26 rushing attempts. Total yards? 18. That’s an average of 0.7 yards per carry. Basically, he’s falling forward and hoping for the best.
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Even in 2025, during his brief stint with the Baltimore Ravens, he kept the tradition alive. In four games, he had four carries for negative 4 yards. He's consistent, if nothing else.
Why Do People Even Care About These Stats?
Usually, if you're searching for cooper rush rushing stats, you're either a fantasy football manager in a very deep league or you're trying to win an argument at a sports bar.
In the world of fantasy, mobility is "cheat code" territory. Quarterbacks like Jalen Hurts or Josh Allen provide a floor because of their legs. Cooper Rush provides a basement. He has zero career rushing touchdowns. He has zero games where he was a legitimate threat to run the ball.
If you started him in 2024 during that stretch where the Cowboys were struggling, you were banking entirely on his arm. And frankly, his arm was decent—he threw for 1,844 yards and 12 touchdowns that year. But his legs? They were essentially ornaments.
The High School Mirage
What's weird is that Cooper Rush wasn't always this stationary. If you go back to his days at Lansing Catholic High School in Michigan, he was actually a bit of a dual-threat guy.
During his high school career, he didn't just throw for over 7,000 yards; he also rushed for 1,438 yards and 27 touchdowns. That's a different person. It's like he got to college at Central Michigan and decided, "You know what? I'm done running."
At Central Michigan, his rushing totals plummeted. He finished his college career with negative 108 rushing yards over 50 games. Again, sacks in college count as negative rushing yards, and Rush was a statue. He did manage to sneak in 5 rushing touchdowns during his time with the Chippewas, mostly on goal-line sneaks, but the "dual-threat" Cooper Rush died in high school.
Comparing Rush to the Field
To put cooper rush rushing stats into perspective, you have to look at his peers. Even other "statue" quarterbacks usually stumble into more yards than Rush.
- Tom Brady: Known for being slow, but even he had seasons with over 100 rushing yards and famously had a knack for the QB sneak.
- Matthew Stafford: Not a runner by any means, but he’ll still pull it down and get 10 yards if the lane is open.
- Cooper Rush: His career-high rushing yards for a single game is 13.
It’s not that he’s incapable of moving; it’s that he’s a processed-based quarterback. He wants to find the hot read. He wants to check it down to the flat. He isn't looking to create outside the pocket. When the pocket collapses, Rush is much more likely to take the sack or throw it away than he is to tuck and run.
The Impact on the Offense
When Rush is under center, the offensive coordinator has to change the playbook. You aren't running RPOs (Run-Pass Options) where the QB might keep it. You aren't running bootlegs that require him to outrun a defensive end.
In Dallas, when Dak Prescott is playing, the defense has to account for the possibility of the QB running. With Rush, they can pin their ears back. This makes those 1,844 passing yards he put up in 2024 even more impressive. He did it while being a sitting duck.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors
If you're looking at the betting lines or setting a lineup involving Rush, here is the bottom line:
- Ignore the rushing floor: It doesn't exist. He will never give you "bonus" points with his legs.
- Watch the sack totals: Because he doesn't escape the pocket, his rushing yards often end up negative due to how stats are recorded.
- Focus on the "Game Manager" role: Rush succeeds when he doesn't have to be the hero. His best games come when he's distributing the ball to playmakers like CeeDee Lamb.
Understanding the limitations of cooper rush rushing stats helps you understand the player. He's a cerebral backup who knows where to go with the ball, but he’s not going to win a footrace with anyone on the field—including some of the offensive linemen.
If you're tracking his performance for the upcoming 2026 season, keep an eye on his passing completion percentage and his touchdown-to-interception ratio. Those are the numbers that matter for Cooper Rush. The rushing stats? They're just a fun trivia answer for your next Sunday afternoon at the pub.