Trey Lance didn’t have much success in the San Francisco 49ers and then, he was moved to the Dallas Cowboys. The Niners gave him away for a round-four pick in 2024. He hasn’t played a down and Jerry Jones believes that the “arrow is really up,” on the Cowboys backup quarterback. In a recent press release, Mike McCarthy shared his thoughts on the QB and they’re mostly positive.
The Cowboys might be looking into other options because they have been in his song and dance with Dak Prescott for the second time. The difference now is, there is no news about No. 4’s contract extension and it seems like this is Prescott’s last year with this storied franchise.
McCarthy was asked about Trey Lance’s performance in the OTAs. The Cowboys HC, who is in his last year of contract himself, was unequivocally advocating for Lance. “You talk about a young quarterback who comes in a new system, you know so you got the learning curve. But now, he’s starting to get the timing with the routes, and he’s thrown to a lot of new players too. So, you know, there’s always thresholds and reps that go into that too,” said McCarthy.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
He further clarified, “But, he’s close to being the master of the system, he has really high understanding, is communicating very well and he looks more and more comfortable, he just needs reps.” Lance was pick 3 in round one but didn’t get the NFL experience he aspired to get. He has played only 8 games in the league and has 797 yards in two seasons and 5 touchdowns that he scored in his rookie year. Lance is still a QB3 for the Cowboys and is competing with Cooper Rush to move up a spot.
And just like Mike McCarthy, the owner of America’s team also had a few words to say about Lance.
Jerry Jones is positive about Trey Lance amid Dak Prescott’s looming contract
In early March this year, Michael Gehlken took to X and shared what Jerry Jones thought of Trey Lance. “The arrow’s really up,” Jones said about Lance. “He’s exceeded expectations as a person, as a worker, as a character. He’s got unique skills. He’s very much what we had planned on, hoped.” “When we gave the pick, we knew we would be paying the bonus right now. That was a part of the same decision. That’s been reinforced by what he’s been with the team and the person he is, potentially the player.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the “arrow is really up” on backup QB Trey Lance. “He’s exceeded expectations as a person, as a worker.” Lance to compete with Cooper Rush for No. 2 job behind Dak Prescott. “He’s very much what we had planned on, hoped when we gave the pick.” pic.twitter.com/Ik80bcFqJZ
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) March 2, 2024
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
As time flies, Dak Prescott’s stay in Jerry Land becomes a distant dream. Prescott is 2-5 in the playoffs and the Cowboys haven’t won a Super Bowl in the last 3 decades. Despite having players like CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons, Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, and many others, the Dallas team suffers a bad fate. Adding more to this, the Cowboys’ star receiver, CeeDee Lamb, is waiting for a huge deal to get done before he even shows up to the OTAs.
But coming back to Lance, Purdy stole the spotlight from the dejected QB in the 2022 season, after which he left the Niners. Trey Lance just reinforced everyone’s belief in him and thinks he’s getting better with time. “[My confidence] is much higher than it was when I got into the NFL, for sure. I kind of didn’t know what to expect. I think that’s probably most rookies, if not all of them at one point or another throughout that first year. I feel great about where I’m at. Continuing to get better, continuing to learn and continuing to be a better quarterback,” said the QB.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
On May 1, 2024, the Dallas Cowboys declined to give Lance his fifth-year option. Spotrac shows that his 2025 contract is “voided.” However, the QB is set to take home $5.31 million in base salary and bonuses. At this point, fans and analysts take Jerry Jones’ statement with a grain of salt. One minute he talks about his “all in” approach, and the next, he’s talking about waiting for “leaves to fall.”
Their 2024 draft was a bit disappointing. They mostly addressed defensive positions, despite missing a running back. Though they didn’t draft a QB, the Dallas team got receiver Ryan Flournoy from Southeast Missouri State and LB Marist Liufau from Notre Dame. However, they might not be able to match what Lamb and Parsons bring to the table. Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons, Trey Lance, and Mike McCarthy are all hanging by a thread right now and the information that fans and analysts got from the Cowboys owner is cryptic at best.