Trey Lance has been on the Cowboys’ roster for greater than 14 months. Dallas added the previous San Francisco starter after Sam Darnold had overwhelmed him out for the 49ers’ QB2 job in 2023, successfully going ahead with a roster stash. However Lance has not made a lot progress along with his second NFL group.
The previous No. 3 general choose entered this season because the Cowboys’ third-stringer after being inactive all through the 2023 slate. Any notions of him factoring into the group’s 2025 starter dialog had been buried as soon as the group gave Dak Prescott a record-smashing extension (four years, $240M). With Prescott moving to IR, the door is open for Lance. In the intervening time, nonetheless, the 3-5 Cowboys don’t seem to have designs on beginning him.
Cooper Rush is the locked-in starter over Lance, according to ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano, who signifies the group believes the veteran offers a greater probability to win. Lance-specific packages could also be carried out, however Graziano provides no consideration is being given to him leapfrogging Rush on the depth chart for a possible prolonged look. This comes after Stephen Jones saved the door open for Lance work amid Prescott’s hamstring injury.
With the Cowboys teetering on the point of dropping out of the playoff chase throughout a season by which Mike McCarthy is a lame duck, it’s definitely comprehensible the teaching employees shouldn’t be involved in long-term evaluations. Whether or not possession might finally intervene may very well be an attention-grabbing subplot for this yr’s Cowboys, particularly if the group’s present shedding streak continues with out Prescott, who will miss at the very least 4 video games.
Dallas has held its personal with Rush on the helm prior to now, going 5-1 with the previous UDFA because the starter. Rush, who’s 5 years into his second Cowboys stint, changed Prescott in September 2022 — after the longtime starter suffered a thumb damage. Prescott missed 5 video games that season, and Rush earned reward by going 4-1 as a starter throughout that stretch. He accomplished lower than 59% of his passes, nonetheless, at simply 6.5 yards per clip. Prescott exited Week 9 ranked twenty fifth in QBR, highlighting points with the quarterback’s efficiency and the group round him. It will likely be attention-grabbing to see how Rush fares on this state of affairs, as he now holds the keys to the Cowboys reentering playoff discussions or transferring towards the NFC basement.
An midsummer report indicating Lance had a chance to usurp Rush didn’t precede such a transfer, as Rush held onto the No. 2 QB gig throughout coaching camp. The Cowboys gave Lance in depth preseason work, because the North Dakota State alum has a traditionally skinny resume — for a high prospect, at the very least — by way of sport work post-high college. The Cowboys had been tied to a totally assured $5M on Lance’s contract by buying and selling for him, however they joined the Steelers (Justin Fields), Jaguars (Mac Jones) and Broncos (Zach Wilson) in declining the fifth-year choice on a traded first-round QB from the 2021 class.
With Rush a reasonably identified commodity at 30, any Lance work would instantly generate extra curiosity in Dallas. He has not seen any regular-season motion since a fractured ankle suffered in Week 2 of the 2022 season moved him out of the 49ers’ beginning lineup. The 49ers had reached a renegotiated take care of Jimmy Garoppolo as Lance insurance coverage that yr, after the group spent the offseason dangling Garoppolo in trades. With Lance proving unready, Garoppolo (after which Brock Purdy) piloted San Francisco again to the NFC Championship Recreation. Darnold then beat out Lance, main him to Dallas.
Nonetheless simply 24, Lance shouldn’t be headed towards free company with any momentum. The Cowboys might doubtlessly present some by greenlighting sport work, however greater than a yr into his Dallas tenure, it’s notable the group shouldn’t be wanting into transferring him previous an eighth-year backup to switch Prescott.
