The Cowboys played their final game of the preseason on Saturday, falling to the Los Angeles Chargers at AT&T Stadium 26-19. Of particular note in the game were some of the highs and lows of fourth-year quarterback Trey Lance.
Lance, taking every offensive snap for the Cowboys, showed dual-threat versatility, with 323 yards passing, 90 yards rushing, and a touchdown through the air and on the ground. Those numbers were overshadowed in many ways by some poor decision-making that led to 5 interceptions in the game, including one that was returned for a touchdown.
“A shame about our interceptions, because I thought Lance, in many ways, had some good things happen out there,” Cowboys Owner and General Manager Jerry Jones told reporters after the game. “I saw good and I saw some things that you'd like to have back.”
Despite limited playing time in his three years at North Dakota State, Lance was the 3rd overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, and immediately became the presumed quarterback of the future for Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers. Lance ultimately started just four games over two years for the 49ers, attempting a little over 100 passes in that time. He was traded to the Cowboys last August for a 4th round pick in the 2024 draft, and didn’t play a single snap in his first season in Dallas.
The lack of available tape on Lance dating back to his first year of college in 2018 has elevated him to near mythical status in the world of NFL discussion and analysis. Lance’s 420 pass attempts over the last six years is exactly why Jones valued Saturday’s opportunity for his potentially high yield investment at quarterback.
“I couldn't have asked for more reps and [a] better situation to watch him play, and he needed that, because the one thing he's missing more than anything is the lack of reps, much less NFL reps.”
Jones already confirmed last week that Lance will be on the roster this season. With so much potential, a fourth round pick already invested in his development, and a salary that only counts a little over $5 million against the 2024 cap, Lance is a lotto ticket that Jones doesn’t see much sense in walking away from on cutdown day.
But with Lance entering the final year of his deal, like every other quarterback on the Cowboys roster, this training camp was going to be critical for his development.
Jones believes Lance took advantage of that opportunity for growth.
“I think the main thing is the improvement from over the last six weeks. That's impressive. Very impressive. What you're looking for is the arrow going up, and it's going up dramatically, really every practice and every game. So I'm going to use that word because he's doing a lot of things that he wasn't doing as well early that he's doing well now.”