The Dallas Cowboys are taking a good, hard look at Trey Lance in the preseason and had some hefty praise for the quarterback after a strong showing.
Lance is competing to be the backup to Dak Prescott with veteran Cooper Rush. So far, Lance has played almost the enterity of the Cowboys’ two preseason games. He’s completed 40-of-64 passes for 339 yards and a pair of touchdowns (one rushing, one passing). Lance has also tossed an interception.
After a lackluster debut, Lance was sharped against the Las Vegas Raiders. He totalled 151 yards passing with a touchdown and also led Dallas in rushing with 34 yards on 7 carries, finding the end zone on a 2-yard run. The Cowboys won the game, 27-12.
“I thought we improved today starting with Trey,” McCarthy told reporters after the game. “The third down conversions, we missed a couple there. But two 14-play drives, that’s incredible for preseason football. It just shows you his understanding and confidence, and he just needs to continue to play. He needs reps. He needs to play in live games particularly in the drop-back phase because he’s doing a very good job managing everything else. So I thought he clearly took a step today.”
Lance had been idle for nearly a year before the preseason action. The Cowboys traded for him in August before the start of last season, sending a fourth-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers. However, he never saw the field following the trade.
“Definitely, felt more comfortable coming out,” Lance said. “Would have liked to start a little bit faster in the third quarter, for sure. The whole entire third quarter, left some plays out there, for sure. But excited to watch the tape. Learned a lot again from it, and it was fun to compete with these guys.”
Jerry Jones on Lance: Understand Why 49ers Gave Up Haul
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had some high praise for Lance prior to the matchup. He stressed the importance of Lance’s athletic ability.
“He’s a great athlete. If we were really trying to win a game during the season, there’d be a different game plan. And you’d use his legs a lot,” Jones said on the 105.3 The FAN pregame show. “You’re gonna see Trey tonight working out of the pocket, working on his footwork. … I can see why San Francisco gave three ones to draft him.”
There’s a chance the Cowboys are at least considering the idea of Lance being the quarterback of the future. Prescott is heading into his final year under contract and could hit free agency next offseason without a new deal. However, Prescott is confident something will get done.
“I have somebody that takes care of that,” Prescott said on August 15. “I haven’t put too much thought into if it gets done now, if it gets done in a couple weeks, during the season, whenever it happens. I just know conversations are going the right way.”
Cowboys Unlikely to Keep 3 Quarterback on 53-Man Roster
The comments from McCarthy and Jones may reveal where Lance stands in the depth chart battle with Rush. The Cowboys are unlikely to keep three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. Lance’s pedigree as a top-three pick and athleticism may give him the edge.
“The Cowboys are unlikely to keep three quarterbacks, so the backup job comes down to Lance and Cooper Rush,” Machota wrote on July 2. “While Rush is more accomplished in NFL games, the Cowboys are hoping Lance can show some of the upside that made him the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Lance will get every opportunity to win the backup spot. He would have to look awful in camp and the preseason to not get the job.”
Rush has thrown just 6 passes in the preseason. He’s been with the Cowboys since 2017, so they mostly know what they’re getting with the 30-year-old passer.
He saw extended time in 2022 when Dak Prescott went down with a thumb injury. Rush went 4-1 in his starts, passing for 1,051 yards, 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He’s played sparingly outside that window, attempting just 49 passes in his other five seasons combined.
