It was bound to happen as soon as we learned about Dak Prescott being out for multiple weeks: A little bit of Dallas Cowboys quarterback controversy.
When a big name is sitting on the bench like Trey Lance, a former No. 3 overall draft pick, is, people will want to see him get a chance. But things aren't as simple in Dallas for multiple reasons.
First of all, Lance hasn't played like the NFL world hoped he would when he was drafted that high by the San Francisco 49ers, who also gave up a fortune to move up in the order to secure him back in 2021. Additionally, the Cowboys have an experienced backup who is well-versed in the offense Dallas runs and that has ton of respect from his current coaching staff.
Rush's record as a starter remains 5-1. There's a level of belief in his play that Lance can't beat right now. The latter, who will be promoted from inactive emergency quarterback to Rush's No. 2 on Sunday, kept it real when discussing Rush and admitted he did his part for the Cowboys to win last Sunday against the Falcons.
"Man, you saw it on Sunday, (Rush) made a ton of plays," Lance told reporters when asked about his teammate's strengths. "I think we just didn’t make as many plays as we needed to win the game, but he came in and gave us every opportunity to win."
Lance's sentiment coincides with Mike McCarthy's and CeeDee Lamb's. The star wide receiver told the media on Sunday following the loss to the Atlanta Falcons that Rush had done his part, admitting he had delivered accurate passes. Rush threw a couple of bombs into the end zone that could've arguable have been caught by Lamb and Jalen Tolbert but were incomplete passes.
Lance's support of Rush is a sign of a healthy quarterback room shared with Rush and Prescott.
"Just as friends, honestly, friends and teammates," Lance said of his relationship with the quarterbacks. "I think we're a lot closer, me and Coop, and Dak as well. You spend that much time with someone, and I kind of didn’t know what to expect coming into it, but they’ve both been great to me. Couldn't ask for anything more, so I'm very thankful for that."
That doesn't mean Lance won't be ready should the opportunity to get on the field come up. He feels ready to command the offense if given the chance.
"Yeah, absolutely," said Lance when asked if he was confident in his ability to run the scheme if needed. "(My confidence is) as high as it can get."
Based on what the Cowboys' coaching staff has said, it'll be the Cooper Rush show for now. The team believes the veteran gives them the best chance to win and since there's little point of playing Lance just for the sake of "developing him" as he'll hit free agency next year, that's what matters the most.
