Before the start of the Cowboys third and final preseason game on Sunday, which was set to be a Trey Lance showcase all the way, incumbent quarterback Dak Prescott spoke about Lance’s prospects with CBS-11, the station that was airing the game locally. He had a strong message on his expectations for Lance based on what he’d seen from him during training camp.
And, well, he was right. Almost, sorta.
“I expect his best game,” Prescott said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “Just a guy that is getting more and more comfortable every day he’s been here. From the time that he’s shown up, he’s improved so much. His confidence is up. He’s gonna have a great game.”
Some of Lance’s numbers and bits of his performance were eye-popping in the Chargers’ 26-19 win over the Cowboys in Arlington, giving some credence to the fact that the little-used QB was worthy of being the No. 3 pick in the 2021 draft, as chosen by the 49ers.
Lance had 323 yards passing and 90 yards rushing, and also ran for a touchdown and threw for a score. But the caveat, besides the usual “it’s just the preseason” is this: Lance had five—yup, five—interceptions on the day.
Trey Lance Reaction Unpredictable
Reaction to Lance’s performance were predictable in their unpredictability. Lance no doubt showed promise, but also showed he’s not ready for an NFL starting job.
Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel wrote on Twitter/X—when Lance had only three interceptions, including for a pick-6—that Lance would “never make it” in the NFL if he did not value the ball more.
“Trey Lance gets absolutely bulldozed into the end zone. Lance with 3 INT’s and 2 fumbles today but has 335 total yard and 2 TD’s. He will never make it in this league if he can’t protect the football & make the right decisions,” Daniel posted.
Another former quarterback in the NFL, Robert Griffin III, had posted just 30 minutes earlier, after a Lance running play of 46 yards for a touchdown, that it was way too early to give up on Lance, who is only 24 years old—the same age as 2024 NFL draft first-round picks Bo Nix and Michael Penix.
“This is why you don’t give up on Trey Lance. His ability to be a game changer is CLEARLY THERE. He made these defenders with angles look like they were running in place,” Griffin wrote.
Cowboys QB Depth Chart Appears Set
In the end, the disappointment of the interceptions will win out over the talent Lance flashed in the Chargers game. He went into the finale clearly trying to make an impression, certainly to secure his spot on the 53-man roster—assuming the Cowboys keep three quarterbacks—but also in an attempt to jump past Cooper Rush up to the second spot on the depth chart, behind Prescott.
That didn’t work out. No decisions have been made, of course, but beat writer Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning-News made the point that Rush came into camp as the No. 2 quarterback and Lance needed to wrest the job from him. He didn’t.
“This game should end any conversations whether Trey Lance can surpass Cooper Rush at No. 2. Last week was a good performance for Lance but his inconsistencies doesn’t justify him passing Rush. It’s been Rush from Day 1 of camp as the No. 2,” Watkins posted.
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