For the Cowboys, the subplot to the drama over whether Dak Prescott gets a new contract or plays out the final year of his deal and hits free agency in 2025, centers around his potential replacement, the guy Dallas brought in with the intent of getting some leverage in Prescott talks: Trey Lance. Whether they’ve accomplished that is up for debate.
But team owner and general manager Jerry Jones raised eyebrows this week when he commented that Lance would, indeed, make the 53-man roster when the team needs to make its final cutdowns in the coming days. The assumption has been that Jones’ comments mean we will see Lance in a Cowboys uniform in Week 1.
Ah, but not so fast, according to longtime team insider Mike Fisher of Athlon. Fisher noted that what Jones said simply means that Lance will not be cut on August 31. It does not mean, though, he won’t be traded after that. As rosters shake out and injuries crop up, there could be a demand for Lance.
Jones’ comments are being misunderstood, Fish writes.
“Countless media outlets are now reporting that because Lance is likely to make the 53-man roster (as was always the case), he is therefore not going to be traded,” he noted.
“That’s not even close to what Jerry said. Nor is it even close to the truth.”
Trey Lance Trade Tough to Pull Off
It won’t be easy to trade Lance, of course. When the market for backup quarterbacks shapes up next week, there will be others ahead of him. Bailey Zappe of the Patriots and Taylor Heinicke of the Falcons are options for teams, and Fisher pointed out that the Browns likely will be looking to unload Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
An issue the Cowboys would have to deal with, too, would be the notion of getting back the same fourth-round pick they gave up to the 49ers a year ago to acquire him. Dallas would not give up Lance for less than they sacrificed to get him in the first place.
Lance, of course, has not played a down for the Cowboys thus far. He was essentially redshirted last year, and this year, he is shaping up as a third-stringer behind Cooper Rush and Prescott. Lance has played fairly well in two preseason games—40-for-64 passing, 339 yards and one touchdown, plus 13 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Cowboys Were Always Keeping QB in Place
But Fisher pointed out that the surprise reaction to Jones saying Lance would make the team was, in itself a surprise—no one should have expected otherwise.
In a video on his YouTube channel, he said: “Of course he’s gonna make the team. He was always gonna make the team. He would have had to do something really horrific off the field to not make the team. And here’s why, straight dope. Three reasons:
“One, he’s got upside. He’s got a ceiling up there and they don’t know where that it is. The ceiling is way up there and we don’t know where it is. That’s No. 1.
“Two, they invested a fourth-round pick in him and I don’t want egg on my face—I say I, I mean them. I’m not giving up on them.
“No. 3, $5.3 million guaranteed. You don’t cut a guy who has got a $5.3 million guarantee unless you have to.”
That does leave the Cowboys in a bind when it comes to Rush, though. They could, conceivably, keep three quarterbacks, but that might ding their depth at running back or receiver, where they need all the help they can get.
They could gamble that they can release Rush, and sign him back to the practice squad. It’s unlikely that any team would pick him up for their 53-man roster if he is released, but Rush does have a good reputation around the NFL. So it’s possible.
All this will become clearer over the weekend, though, when Lance and the Cowboys face the Chargers in their final preseason tilt.
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