Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said after Tuesday’s practice he would like to see improvement from Trey Lance, a promising but unproven 24-year-old quarterback.
Then, Jones addressed the logical follow-up question about whether Lance would make the regular-season roster.
“That answer is yes,” Jones said. “Yes, he’s going to be on the 53.”
Jones did not specify what that meant for quarterback Cooper Rush, who’s been Dak Prescott’s backup in recent seasons and has taken second-team repetitions throughout training camp. In recent years, some NFL teams kept two signal-callers on their roster, while others kept three.
The Cowboys and all other teams must trim rosters from a maximum of 90 players to 53 by Aug. 24 at 3 p.m. CDT. With cutdown day looming, Lance’s status in Dallas and across the league has generated conversation.
At this time of year, NFL executives often use comments to reporters strategically, and Lance’s trade value might benefit if opposing teams thought the Cowboys were planning to hang onto Lance. At the very least, Lance has a public assurance that he will be on the team this time next week.
Jerry Jones speaks with reporters at Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, California, on Aug. 20, 2024.Aaron Kasinitz
Lance entered the NFL as the No. 3 overall pick in 2021 but struggled to find stardom in San Francisco, eventually suffering an injury and losing his spot as the team’s quarterback of the future to seventh-rounder Brock Purdy. The Cowboys swooped in to acquire Lance in a trade late last August and kept him around as the No. 3 quarterback all season, behind Prescott and Rush.
This summer, Lance has had his chance to earn game experience with the Cowboys. He’s completed 40 of 64 passes (62.5 percent) for 339 yards (5.3 per attempt), one touchdown and no interceptions through two preseason games. He’s also amassed 78 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
Lance is likely to play often in the preseason finale Saturday against the Chargers, too. But if Jones stands by his words, Lance’s performance in the game won’t affect his roster status when cutdown day arrives next week.