5 Cowboys on Thin Ice Heading Into Free Agency

2. QB Trey Lance

The Cowboys brought in Trey Lance as their third-string quarterback last season, acquiring him from the San Francisco 49ers for a fourth-round pick. Even though the former 2021 third-overall pick didn't play a single snap for Dallas, the franchise still opted to exercise his fourth-year bonus to keep him in Big D for 2024.

So, why is Lance on thin ice? There are a few reasons.

For starters, the jury is still out on who Lance can be. He's only attempted 102 passes at the NFL level, which is only made worse by the fact that he only has 420 total passing attempts since his freshman year at North Dakota State in 2018. It's hard to look at those numbers and feel good about the idea of him possibly being Dak Prescott's successor.

Secondly, Lance carries a $5.3 million cap hit for the 2024 season, per Spotrac. That's a lot of money to pay a third-stringer (assuming Cooper Rush returns in the QB2 role) who hasn't even proven himself yet. It's also a tough pill to swallow given that Dallas is about $4 million over the salary cap with several free agents it must re-sign.

At the end of the day, don't be surprised if Lance is traded away in favor of a cheaper free-agent option.