There are plenty of household names on the Dallas Cowboys, but none may be bigger than the backup quarterback. Admit it. You know who CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons are. But you also know who’s coming in if Prescott goes down with an injury.
That’s what happened last year when Prescott’s season ended in October and Cooper Rush played out the remainder of the season. Rush has since moved on to sign a two-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens, but he’s not the only Cowboys backup quarterback with a new job.
One former quarterback that used to call Dallas home, is also looking for a new opportunity. But things didn’t go well in minicamp as he’s already on thin ice.
Trey Lance is Showing Why The Cowboys Let Him Walk
Trey Lance signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Chargers last spring with a chance to back up Justin Herbert. While his main competition is former Cowboys divisional rival Taylor Heinicke, Lance is having trouble beating him out based on an observation by The Athletic’s Daniel Popper.
“Rookie safety Jaylen Jones picked off an ill-advised off-platform throw from quarterback Trey Lance, who has been trading off with [D.J.] Uiagalelei as the third-string quarterback. Rookie tight end Oronde Gadsen was coming open on a corner route. Lance was drifting to his left, and the ball was severely underthrown.”
That paragraph isn’t just describing Lance’s time with the Cowboys. It describes his entire career.
The third overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2021 NFL Draft, Lance endured a strange collegiate career at North Dakota State. He put up video game numbers with 42 total touchdowns and no interceptions in his lone full season as a starter for the Bison in 2019 and had the 2020 season canceled outside of an exhibition against Central Arkansas. Lance’s blend of athleticism and a big arm was too much for the 49ers to resist however, and they coughed up three first-round picks to the Miami Dolphins in order to draft him.
Two years under Kyle Shanahan didn’t do much for Lance, however, and the 49ers pivoted when they unearthed Brock Purdy as Mr. Irrelevant. The Cowboys sent a 2024 fourth-round pick (Malik Mustapha) to San Francisco with the intent of making him their backup quarterback but his reckless decision making and reliance on his arm proved fatal when he chucked five interceptions in last year’s preseason finale against the Chargers.
The good news for Lance is that the performance didn’t keep Los Angeles from signing him last offseason. The Chargers kept three quarterbacks last season and Uiagelelei shouldn’t be a threat to take the final spot. But this may be Lance’s last chance to prolong his NFL career and a flameout with a third team could be the final nail in the coffin.