The Dallas Cowboys gave quarterback Trey Lance the entire game in their final preseason outing against the Los Angeles Chargers in the hopes he could show himself to be a potential starter should Dak Prescott leave next season … but his performance could have just given the starter even more leverage.
The former third overall draft pick joined the Cowboyslast season with many fans excited to see what they could get out of the promising talent, but the issues that saw the San Francisco 49ers move off of him were extremely evident in the game – with Lance going on to throw a whopping FIVE interceptions.
All five of the passes that were picked off had been extremely poor decisions from the quarterback, who held on to the ball for too many, and bailed on clean pockets while being very erratic with his accuracy.
This had, infuriatingly for Cowboys fans, come with the quarterback showing glimpses of brilliance – including throwing for 323 yards and rushing for 90 yards while scoring two touchdowns.
However, his turnovers and poor decisions are likely to see him named Dallas’ third-choice quarterback behind Prescott and Rush, while also showing Dallas that he still is not ready to play – despite him being in his fourth year in the NFL – with many rightfully questioning if he ever will live up to his potential.
Should Lance have been able to cut out the turnovers and consistent head-scratching decisions, he could have been seen as an option for Dallas in 2025, with Prescott currently set to become a free agent after failing to come to terms on an extension.
It has been reported that Prescott is looking to be paid north of the number that the likes of Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts have received over the past 12 months – potentially being paid as much as $60 million per season.
While Dallas will not want to lose its starting quarterback, they also must allocate salary cap space to pay both superstars CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons – both eligible for extensions after completing three years on their rookie contracts.
Lance had been the only other long-term option for the team at quarterback should they not agree terms with Prescott on an extension – and now risk letting him leave for no draft compensation with his deal officially up after this season.
Dallas fans will hope that Prescott signs before the season opener, with players usually closing all communications on an extension once the year has started.
One player who has been earmarked as his successor is the son of former Cowboys superstar Deion Sanders , Shedeur , who is set to enter the NFL Draft in 2025.
