The Dallas Cowboys, and the rest of the NFL, could get their first extended look Sunday at former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance. Since arriving in Dallas, Lance has largely operated as the emergency third quarterback behind Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush, although he has been backing up Rush since Prescott suffered a season-ending hamstring tear. his season earlier this year.
At the end of the regular season, according to NFL Media, Lance is expected to have a lot of work. Head Coach Mike McCarthy refused to name a starter for the gamealthough Rush has been preparing as if it were “business as usual” and Lance is preparing to play.
The San Francisco 49ers traded up to select Lance with the third pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He sat for most of his rookie season behind Jimmy Garoppolo, making two starts out of the spot, but otherwise operating as a substitute and doing very occasional short distance races.
The Niners gave Lance the starting job the following offseason, hoping to trade Garoppolo. Instead, they were unable to find a trade partner and began the season with Garoppolo as Lance’s backup. Then Lance broke his ankle early in Week 2, so Garoppolo resumed the starting role. When Garoppolo himself suffered an injury, Brock Purdy entered the lineup and never gave up the job.
At the end of training camp in 2022, the Niners sent Lance to Dallas in exchange for a fourth-round pick. The Cowboys have kept him on the bench ever since, even when they saw their starter lose to a season-ending injury, and even when they were eliminated from the playoffs. Now, it looks like we’ll finally get the chance to see Lance in action for the first time in quite some time.
