Who Should I Start? Cooper Rush or Tanner McKee

Wednesday, June 25, 12:10 PM

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Cooper Rush struggled during offseason workouts and put the ball in harm's way far too often as he learns a new offense, according to The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec. Rush was thrust into a starter's role during OTAs with Lamar Jackson missing all but one of the team's nine practice sessions, which shortened his learning curve. The former Dallas Cowboy signal-caller will be Baltimore's No. 2 QB with second-year quarterback Devin Leary competing for a spot on the practice squad. If Jackson misses time due to injury during the 2025 regular season, the Ravens will surely be hoping that Rush has cleaned up some of the mistakes that he's showing early on as he learns the offense. The 31-year-old started nine games for Dallas in 2024 with Dak Prescott injured and threw for 12 TDs and four interceptions. He has the experience but lacks the mobility that Jackson has in spades.

Wednesday, May 21, 2:46 PM

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee is likely to be the direct backup to Jalen Hurts in 2025 despite the team drafting Kyle McCord (Syracuse) in the sixth round of last month's NFL Draft. The team's decision to trade Kenny Pickett to the Cleveland Browns signals confidence in McKee, who was a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Stanford. McKee appeared in two games (one start) last year, completing 30 of his 45 passing attempts for 323 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions. While he's not on the fantasy football radar as a backup, it's worth noting that Hurts missed Weeks 16 and 17 in 2022 due to injury before sitting out Week 17 again in 2024. We've seen his backups, such as Gardner Minshew and Pickett, deliver fantasy-relevant performances in his absence, so McKee could be one of the top backup QBs to monitor in deeper superflex or two-QB formats.