Trey Lance appears to be pleased to be a new member of the Dallas Cowboys following the the San Francisco 49ers’ decision to trade the quarterback to their historic rival. 49ers general manager John Lynch revealed that he saw Lance “light up a little bit” when the quarterback found out that he was headed to Dallas.
“Kyle [Shanahan] and I, when we broke the news to him today, saw him [Lance] light up a little bit, and he loves it here,” Lynch told reporters during an August 26, 2023 press conference. “He was very appreciative of the opportunity. Like typical Trey, he apologized to us, and there was nothing for him to apologize for.
“We’re just happy that he’s got a spot, and the Cowboys came up big, and I think that’s an indication that they’re excited to have him. And we’re excited for Trey’s new opportunity, and we’ll always be big fans.”
Prior to Joining the Dallas Cowboys, Trey Lance Only Started 4 Games With the San Francisco 49ers
Trey Lance’s big arm is headed to The Big D.
Even with Will Grier expected to be released, the Cowboys have an interesting quarterback room with Lance and Cooper Rush potentially fighting for the backup job down the road. Rush should get the nod to start the season given his familiarity, but Dallas gave up future draft capital for a reason.
Lance has two seasons remaining on a four-year, $34 million rookie contract and is slated to have a $940,000 cap hit this season. This number jumps up to $5.3 million in 2024, per Spotrac.
For the Cowboys, Lance represents a very intriguing lottery ticket for a player that is just two years removed from being the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL draft. Lance’s short career has largely been defined by injuries as the quarterback only has four career NFL starts.
The newest Cowboys signal-caller has thrown for 797 yards, 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions while completing 54.9% of his passes during his first two seasons in San Francisco. One of the most unique strengths that Lance offers is the threat with his legs as the quarterback also rushed for 235 yards and a touchdown during this same span.
San Francisco 49ers GM John Lynch on New Dallas Cowboys QB Trey Lance: ‘He Needs to Play to Get Better’
The challenge is Lance is likely to begin the season as Dallas’ third-string quarterback, the same position he would have been with the Niners. Lynch suggested that for Lance to improve, he needs to at least get reps in practice, which likely means the quarterback would hold the backup spot. It will be interesting to see how the Cowboys navigate these reps between Rush and Lance.
“It’s not the way everybody works it, but with our system the No. 1 takes a lot of reps,” Lynch explained. “The No. 2 takes the scout team reps. It’s just not a whole lot of opportunity- I heard Kyle [Shanahan] talk about it- to get better and that’s what he needs to do.
“He needs to play to get better. I think that’s going to be his opportunity and I mean, ideally [play] games but [playing] is running scout team. [Playing] is doing all those things. We weren’t going to have that. And so, how do you allow a player to grow?”
Comments
New Cowboys Quarterback Trey Lance’s Reaction to 49ers Trade Revealed