QB Trey Lance fails to impress in first preseason action for Cowboys

It's not often that a team's third-string quarterback is a big story, even in the preseason. But Trey Lance is still a mystery.

And, given the uncertainty surrounding the Dallas Cowboys' quarterback situation after 2024, Lance could be an important mystery to solve.

Lance, the third pick of the 2021 draft who quickly fell out of favor with the San Francisco 49ers as Brock Purdy took over the starting job, will get plenty of reps this preseason. He was a featured part of the Cowboys' preseason opener on Sunday at the Los Angeles Rams with Dak Prescott and other Dallas starters taking a seat. Given that Lance has barely played since a breakout season at North Dakota State in 2019, all the playing time he can get this month is valuable.

However, Lance has to do something with the opportunities. Lance played all but one series and was just average against the Rams' backups on defense. He rarely looked comfortable, especially in the pocket. The Cowboys did not score a touchdown on Lance's first nine possessions. Even when they took over at the Rams' 23 after an interception, they didn't get a first down and settled for a field goal. Lance completed 25-of-41 passes for 188 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions and a 72 passer rating. The Rams won 13-12 when Stetson Bennett threw a touchdown pass on fourth down with four seconds left.

Lance had never played for the Cowboys before, even in a preseason game. He was acquired in a trade last preseason, didn't appear in Dallas' preseason finale and then didn't get in a game during the regular season. Sunday was Cowboys' fans first look at him with their team.

Lance's preseason takes on a little more importance due to the uncertainty over Dak Prescott's future. Prescott's contract is up after this season and it will be a challenge, in terms of the salary cap, to retain him. There are multiple paths the Cowboys can take if they do need to replace Prescott, but they did trade a fourth-round pick to the 49ers for Lance. They had to feel he had some future value to give up a valuable pick for him.

Cooper Rush is still ahead of Lance, and he started Sunday's preseason game. He began his day with a 43-yard deep pass that set up a field goal.

Lance entered on the second drive. He misfired on some passes, but then had a nice third-down run to keep the drive alive. On fourth-and-1 the Cowboys went for it, and Lance missed a throw. He was a bit late and his pass on a fade route to Jalen Moreno-Cropper was out of bounds. Even if Lance was more accurate on the throw, it's likely Moreno-Cropper couldn't have stayed in bounds to get both feet in. It was a big miss on a fourth down.

Lance led a drive for a field goal in his second chance, and it could have been more if not for a couple drops by Cowboys pass catchers. One on play Lance scrambled out of the pocket made a nice throw for 16 yards. Rams coach Sean McVay, on the Rams' broadcast, remarked that it was hard to defend a quarterback like Lance who can break contain.

"It's a good play by him," McVay said on the broadcast.

Lance did look good on the move, either running or scrambling to buy time to make a throw. But it's still clear he needs to improve from the pocket to be a starter in the NFL. He didn't make much happen in the normal flow of the Cowboys offense, and that along with injuries was a reason the 49ers soured on him as well.

Lance did get warmer as the game went on, helping his final stat line, but it's worth noting that the Rams were deep onto their bench by then. In fairness, so were the Cowboys. He wasn't playing with receivers who could help him much, as the drops kept coming in the fourth quarter.

Lance will have a couple more opportunities, and then it seems unlikely we'll see him in the regular season unless things go terribly wrong for the Cowboys. He needs to make the most out of those remaining preseason chances.