The Dallas Cowboys are expected to keep franchise quarterback Dak Prescott on ice in the preseason, meaning most of the three exhibition games will be a chance for backups Trey Lance and Cooper Rush to sharpen their blades before the regular season kicks off.
Lance played the majority of Dallas' loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Despite his defense intercepting Stetson Bennett four times Lance mustered just 188 yards passing on 41 attempts (25 completions) and led the team to just 12 points in a very bitter loss.
The first half of their duel against the Las Vegas Raiders didn't exactly set the world on fire. Rush went 1-3 passing and failed to lead Dallas to any touchdown drives. It took Lance, who relieved Rush after two drives, multiple attempts before he even completed a pass. Many of his early completions were quick check-downs.
Lance did eventually throw a touchdown pass, but it was a one-yard connection to an open Ryan Flournoy that you and I could have completed. It took him nine attempts to complete six passes for 36 yards, making this an inefficient half.
Cowboys QBs Trey Lance, Cooper Rush struggle in up-and-down first half vs. Raiders
While Lance has leaned on the idea of being inexperienced and raw for most of his professional career, his ability to deliver the ball accurately is now starting to be a thoroughly damning issue. If he can't make simple throws and earn a backup job in his fourth season, he's a lost cause.
Lance did lead a brilliant drive to find paydirt eventually, but that shouldn't erase the early struggles of both he and Rush.
Rush, who will be 31 this season and has been with the team essentially uninterrupted since 2017, is a very known quantity at this point. While his struggled aren't as concerning for that reason, Mike McCarthy would have liked to see one of his steady veteran hands struggle like this.
While the Cowboys would likely prefer neither of these two to take a single snap during the regular season, the play these two quarterbacks have put on display only underscores the harsh reality that it will be tough to imagine either of these quarterbacks leading this team to the postseason if Prescott was incapacitated.
