Cowboys QB Trey Lance's latest practice struggles are actually concerning because of recurring theme

There aren't many players facing as much pressure in this year's training camp as Dallas Cowboys quarterback Trey Lance.

Entering his fourth year in the NFL, Lance is competing for the backup role to Dak Prescott with veteran Cooper Rush. It might not sound like a daunting task for someone once picked with the third overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, but Lance certainly doesn't have the job secured.

In fact, he's losing the battle so far. That doesn't necessarily mean he won't turn it around, as the Cowboys have repeatedly claimed they're giving Lance plenty of opportunity in camp and in upcoming preseason games.

Trey Lance's two interceptions from Wednesday are concerning for a specific reason

On Wednesday, Lance threw a couple of interceptions in team drills that shared a common theme: A lack of vision for underneath defenders, who in both instances came away with the ball. This is particularly worrying when it comes to Trey because it's the exact issue that kept him off the field at San Francisco and that cost him any opportunity he might've had to compete against Brock Purdy last year.

Consider what I wrote about Lance weeks before camp kicked off:

Here's one thing to keep in mind about Trey Lance's upcoming training camp as Mike McCarthy admits the preseason will be huge for him: There will be highlights. The fourth-year quarterback is capable of making some freaky throws and putting together electric runs thanks to his athleticism.

However, that's not what this training camp will be about for him. Instead, it'll be all about how he's seeing the defense in 11-on-11 drills. Is his footwork up to speed? Are his reads going well? The last thing Cowboys fans want to see this summer is the same version of Lance that objectively struggled with his vision at San Francisco.

Both intercepted passes on Wednesday did little to ease those concerns as they occurred in play-action concepts and with Lance turning his back to the defense, the mistakes came.

In one of the reps, he throws it right to Markquese Bell, and while breaking down a play is tough without a wide angle, you can see Bell never really moves. Lance just straight up doesn't see him. The wide receiver seems to have beaten his man, which is probably what led to Lance firing the ball but Bell doesn't even have to move because he's sitting at that spot all along.

In another play, something similar takes place in another play-action pass. This time, Lance misses LB Willie Harvey Jr. while targeting a receiver crossing the field from the right side of the field to the left. Harvey Jr. does a good job gaining depth but the throw takes place late enough during the play to the point that Lance has to account for that underneath defender. You can see Harvey Jr. is already working upfield just before Lance starts his windup.

Now granted, picks happen in camp, whether you're Lance, Dak Prescott, or Patrick Mahomes. That's not what comes off as concerning but rather the type of interception taking place: An interception on a 50-50 ball or a slightly misplaced throw against tight coverage isn't the same as simply not seeing defenders.

In a 2023 preseason breakdown of Lance at San Francisco, J.T. O'Sullivan from The QB School says of a throw where the quarterback also doesn't see the defender:

"This is hard to do and this is the type of stuff that that I'm going to be honest here and say that this is the stuff that is hard to stay in the league with. Stuff like this coming out and I don't know how don't see this."

Are Lance's picks cause for alarm?

Yes and no. It's not that simple.

On the one hand, it is true you don't want what was already a known issue to keep coming back. As O'Sullivan says, you can't play quarterback in the NFL if you don't see the field well. However, it is also true that the one thing that can help Lance's vision is reps.

He hasn't really had that since arriving at the Cowboys, as he got to Dallas with camp and the preseason essentially over. Does having a lot of playing time fix that issue for Lance in a matter of two months to the point he earns QB2? There's just no way of knowing.

If anything appears to be clear though, is that Cooper Rush won't hand over his spot that easily just based on his lack of upside compared to Lance's. The latter has to clean up his game or else this story won't play out as many expected it to.

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