When Jerry Jones abruptly snagged Trey Lance from the San Francisco 49ers for a fourth-round pick without hardly anyone’s knowledge, it looked like he was preparing for the post-Dak Prescott era in Arlington.
Then Prescott led the Cowboys to the playoffs and signed a four-year extension just before the Cowboys 2024 season kicked off.
That brought the question of what exactly do the Cowboys do with Lance. His subpar preseason showed he had little-to-no trade value after scoring four total touchdowns with five interceptions.
But with Prescott now out for the year to get surgery for his hamstring injury, the Cowboys now have a chance to prove why Jones made the under-the-table move for Lance. The Cowboys season is over at this point so why not give Lance a shot?
The door is open for Trey Lance but Cowboys showed it won’t give him a proper chance
I see both sides of the Lance situation right now. On one hand, there’s no gain for the Cowboys to play him right now. Lance’s contract is up at the end of the season and will become a free agent. Playing him now would only show teams what he’s capable of and that could haunt the Cowboys in the future.
If he doesn’t play, they could re-sign him on a cheap contract, keep him as Prescott’s backup and maybe trade Cooper Rush if Rush puts together a much better performance than Sunday. Either way, whoever starts isn’t going to be able to save this season.
So go with what you know (Rush) and let the season play out however it will. But on the other hand, you have nothing to lose if you play Lance.
The Cowboys acquired Lance for some now-unknown reason, and he has yet to really prove himself in the NFL. The one thing Lance needs is reps. His preseason was horrendous because he hasn’t really had a chance to go through the ups and downs of a season.
Trey Lance deserves a chance with the Cowboys or another NFL team
With the 49ers, Lance played in just eight games and has four starts over two seasons. He’s barely thrown over 100 passes in his entire NFL career in the regular season and doesn’t have 1,000 passing yards.
Remember, Lance was the No. 3 overall pick the 2021 draft.
Lance hasn’t had a real opportunity and the Cowboys took that away from him when they acquired him with no plan of development. This is the perfect opportunity to make the most of what seems to be a wasted move.
It’s a low-pressure situation in Dallas as the team’s in a hole he’s not responsible for. If he wins, Lance earns himself a contract for (likely) another team.
It’s a travesty when coaches and teams misuse young players. It messes with their confidence and thwarts their potential. Look no further than Carolina with Bryce Young and Indianapolis with Anthony Richardson.
The Cowboys are now in the same position with Lance thanks to Prescott’s injury. And while it’s not their responsibility to coddle their players by any means, it is their job to develop them. All Dallas is doing is hindering Lance’s growth.
