Updated Cowboys Quarterback Depth Chart Following Trey Lance Trade
Whatever you think of the deal Jerry Jones just pulled off to acquire Trey Lance, one thing is clear: Jerry's not going to be complacent at quarterback.
The Cowboys QB room hasn't changed its look much over the last few years, and it was looking a lot like this year's depth chart would be identical to last years. But now things have seriously been shaken up.
Trey Lance is such a wild card. Maybe the Cowboys unlock some of the potential that made him the No. 3 overall pick, and maybe he ends up totally flopping. The range of outcomes is huge.
Here's a look at what the Cowboys quarterback depth chart looks like after the trade.
Cowboys Quarterback Depth Chart
QB1: Dak Prescott
You already knew this one. We weren't trading a fourth-round pick to have Trey Lance jump in and be our new starting quarterback with just a couple weeks of practice.
There are rightfully questions about whether Dak is the long-term answer in Dallas, especially now that he's due for a contract extension, but there are no questions about whether he is our starter for 2023.
Like it or not, our Super Bowl hopes this season hinge on Prescott's play as our starting quarterback.
QB2: Cooper Rush
Lance certainly doesn't have a chance to overtake Cooper Rush until he gets some time to learn the Cowboys offense, but even then I see Rush hanging onto the actual QB2 role for the entire season.
Lance may get to see the field in some goal line or short yardage packages, but if Dak goes down then it's going to be Rush that takes over this offense.
Rush has chemistry with the unit around him, and we've seen that he can do enough to string together a few wins if we need him to in a pinch. The Cowboys are 5-1 in Rush’s six career starts, and he’s been a fine game manager. He posted a passer rating over 90 in four of the six starts, and only fell below an 80 passer rating once.
It won't tank our whole season to lean on Rush for a while if needed. The same can't necessarily be said of Lance.
QB3: Trey Lance
If all goes well with Dak's play and health, Lance could actually see the field more than Rush.
Brian Schottenheimer may not be as creative as Kyle Shanahan, but he should be able to find ways to work Lance in on red zone, goal line and short-yardage sets. Lance's rushing ability makes him a huge threat in those situations, where he can be asked to focus mostly on rushing with maybe or or two quick reads to make.
That won't make him the QB2 though. If anyone needs to start in place of Dak, it's going to be Rush.
Lance has more upside as a potential long-term option than Rush does. I'm not ready to count him as a total definite bust yet. But he's certainly a long-shot to reach those heights, and until we see some evidence of it it's safe to assume we don't want him in the starting lineup.
QB4: Will Grier
Will Grier was already fighting to simply convince the Cowboys that he it was worth carrying three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster to keep his job. But there was a good chance that, like last year, he was going to spend the season on the practice squad.
Now he's drawing completely dead on making the 53-man roster. There's no question that he'll be gone before Tuesday's 4 p.m. deadline.
With practice squad limits it's not even a given that Grier gets that spot anymore though. Mike McCarthy has never been shy about going light on the number of QBs on the roster, and with three on main 53 it's up in the air whether Grier gets another shot on the practice squad.
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