Dallas City News

Ever since Trey Lance was traded to the Cowboys there have been high hopes and expectations for the former third overall pick. After spending a year on the sidelines watching Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush, learning the Mike McCarthy offense, and working to improve his technique and fundamentals, this preseason was set up just for him to showcase his progress.

Now, there is no doubt that Lance will find himself on the 53-man roster. Jerry Jones confirmed that himself on Tuesday. That makes sense for a number of reasons. First, the Cowboys traded a fourth-round pick in the acquisition and would like to see the investment through. Second, the NFL rules allow for a third (emergency) quarterback on game days that would not replace another roster spot.

The question now becomes will Trey Lance earn that QB2 spot or will he continue the 2024 season as the QB3?

In the first preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams, Lance looked much like how you would expect a guy who was playing his first game in about a year to look. He was a bit lost at times and struggled to stay calm under pressure. Accuracy was an issue as he often missed his receivers high. Even after the defense gifted the offense with four extra possessions after INT’s, Lance could not lead the offense into the end zone.

In the second game against the Las Vegas Raiders however, there was noticeable improvement. While he still had some accuracy issues, it was clear that there was less panic and he made more passes with touch on the ball to ensure that his receivers could come down with it. This was best showcased in the entire drive that led to the Ryan Flournoy touchdown.

There were other areas of his game that had noticeable improvements. One of the most impressive plays from him was the one right before the half. On the last play before the Brandon Aubrey 66-yard field goal, Lance rushed for 20 yards. And while he could have just kept fighting for extra yards, he knew that he did not have the time and immediately slid with just enough time left to call a time out. This was a very heads-up play understanding the game and situation that the team was in at the half.

Lance also showcased his rushing ability by taking it in himself for a touchdown later in the game.

Notably, Lance has also not made any huge mistakes. Yes, there are plenty of throws that he probably wishes he could have back, but he has not thrown a single interception in the preseason. He also has not had a single fumble. While this is a good thing to not turn the ball over, it may be because he hasn’t taken a ton of risks either. This should be an interesting aspect of his play going into the final game of preseason.

It was great to see improvement in just one game, but coach McCarthy wants to see more from him in this final preseason game against the Chargers before making his decision on who will be the QB2.

It is also worth mentioning that Cooper Rush isn’t so willing to hand over his job as the backup to Prescott. Before their final padded practice in Oxnard, McCarthy told the media that Rush has been impressive at training camp. The history is also there with Rush, most notably in the 2022 season when he stepped in for an injured Prescott to lead the team to four out of five wins, keeping the Cowboys in the race to the playoffs.

This final test before the regular season starts will be a really good chance for Lance use his experience from those first two games to continue to grow and improve. He will get plenty of chances on Saturday as McCarthy mentioned he will likely play the entire game. Regardless of whether he comes out on top as QB2 or remains at QB3, it will be interesting to watch how he is able to learn and grow in this last preseason game.