Some players rise like comets while others fizzle out faster than a cheap firework. Trey Lance, once the golden boy of the 2021 draft, now finds himself in a peculiar spot: fighting for the backup role on America’s Team. It’s a far cry from the Patrick Mahomes-esque buzz many expected.

In fact, Lance’s journey has been rockier than a mountain goat’s playground. The 49ers mortgaged their future, trading three first-round picks to snag him. Now, he’s battling just to secure the QB2 spot behind Dak Prescott in the Dallas Cowboys. As Clarence Hill put it on the Rich Eisen Show today, “Trey Lance needs to find out… they need to find out Trey Lance can be a quarterback in this league.”

Hill didn’t hold back his word “Lance’s problem is that he’s not played a lot of quarterback throughout his career dating back to high school,” Hill points out. “He only started one year going back to college, he only had 17 starts in three years, he only played… four starts in San Francisco.” This lack of experience puts Lance at a significant disadvantage compared to more seasoned players.

The preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams was Lance’s chance to shine. Instead, it was more dim than a flickering lightbulb. He finished 25-for-41 passing for a pedestrian 188 yards, with no touchdowns to show for his efforts. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy’s post-game comments were about as comforting as a cactus pillow. He cited issues with Lance’s “footwork” and ability to process the Cowboys’ offensive scheme “at a high level.”

Lance’s struggles against second and third-stringers raise more red flags than a bullfight. Hill’s assessment was brutal: “If Dak’s hurt, I’m gonna put him in over Cooper Rush, who’s five and one as a starter in real games.” Ouch. When your competition is a career backup with a winning record, you know you’re in trouble.

The Cowboys took a flyer on Lance, hoping to unearth hidden potential. So far, it’s been all potential and no production. Hill’s evaluation was as cold as a Texas ice storm: “He’s a decent athlete, good athlete, but there’s nothing next level about his game that says this guy should be the starter in place of Dak Prescott.”

For Lance, the clock is ticking louder than Big Ben. If Lance can’t win the QB2 job after a full year with the Cowboys organization, he may be a roster cut. It’s a far cry from the Patrick Mahomes story.

Why Lance’s struggles echo beyond the backup battle

While Lance grapples with playbooks and missed opportunities, The Cowboys insider for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Hill dropped a truth bomb on The Rich Eisen Show today. “Trey Lance was here all year. There was no buzz, no buzz,” Hill revealed. “There was no ‘Oh, this guy’s doing this in practice, he’s a great kid.'” Talk about a wet blanket on the Lance hype train.

The contrast with Mahomes’ early days in Kansas City couldn’t be starker. Hill painted a vivid picture: “You go back to Patrick Mahomes when he was a rookie and Alex Smith was starting in Kansas City… you heard a lot of buzz about what Patrick Mahomes was doing in practice.” That buzz turned into a roar, with Mahomes now boasting three Super Bowl rings and MVP trophies to match.

According to former Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, the team’s excitement about Mahomes was palpable even before he took meaningful snaps. Smith recalls that Chiefs GM Brett Veach was enamored with Mahomes’ potential from the start. “He was in love,” Smith said of Veach’s early reports on the young quarterback. This behind-the-scenes hype translated into tangible results once Mahomes got his chance to start, as he immediately set the league on fire with 50 touchdown passes in his first full season as a starter.

As Mahomes gears up for another potential Super Bowl run, Lance is fighting just to keep his NFL dream from turning into a nightmare. It’s a stark reminder that in the NFL, the potential is great, but production is king. And right now, Lance’s production is about as impressive as a one-yard punt.