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The Las Vegas Raiders have committed to Gardner Minshew being the starting quarterback to start the 2024 season over Aidan O’Connell but that might not last the entire year. Minshew is coming off a rough preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys where he completed 10-of-21 passes and didn’t lead a touchdown drive.
The Cowboys didn’t play starting quarterback Dak Prescott but another quarterback on their roster should’ve caught the Raiders’ eyes. Trey Lance completed 15-0f-23 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown. The former No. 3 pick is still only 24 years old and has only had the chance to start four NFL games.
The Raiders don’t have a quarterback on their roster with the kind of upside that Lance has, which led the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore to float the idea of the team trading for Lance in an August 17 X post.
Last year, Dallas traded for Lance from the San Francisco 49ers for a fourth-round pick. It’s hard to imagine that he’d be much more valuable than that now. It might be worth it for the Raiders to give up a fourth-round pick for a project like Lance. He’s entering his fourth season but is still younger than the second-year O’Connell, who is turning 26 on September 1.
Is Trey Lance a Good Fit for Las Vegas Raiders?
The Raiders have little to be excited about at quarterback. Minshew is the starter but he’s a known commodity. He’s in his sixth year and his career-high in touchdown passes is 21. O’Connell is old for a second-year player and has limited athletic upside.
With a player like Lance, the Raiders would at least have a developmental project that could have big-time upside. He’s 6-foot-4 with a big arm and while he’s not particularly fast, he can move around better than the team’s current quarterbacks.
The biggest knock on Lance is that he’s not an accurate passer. He has a 54.9% completion percentage in eight career games. If he can’t deliver passes to receivers accurately, it doesn’t matter how big his arm is. That said, the Raiders don’t have much to lose. The ceiling is limited with Minshew and O’Connell. Lance would at least provide some hope and they could always bench him if he’s struggling. If the Raiders are concerned about quarterback, Lance might be the most intriguing player who could be available.
Dallas Cowboys May Want to Hold Onto Trey Lance
Lance won’t have much value to the Cowboys this season. Prescott is the starter and it appears Cooper Rush is the backup. However, Prescott isn’t under contract past this season and the team can’t use the franchise tag on him.
If the Pro Bowl quarterback wants to leave in free agency next year, the Cowboys can’t do anything to stop him. Lance could be their insurance policy in case they lose Prescott. That said, Lance also isn’t under contract after the season so they’d still have to hope that he wants to play in Dallas.
If a team is willing to trade for Lance and the Cowboys believe Prescott could stay, there’s no reason not to trade the young quarterback. This could be a situation to watch as the season goes on.
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