Nearly one year to the day that Trey Lance was traded to the Dallas Cowboys, the 24-year-old quarterback will play in his first game with the team on Sunday afternoon against the Los Angeles Rams.
Speaking to reporters ahead of his debut, Lance talked about being “excited” to get back on the field.
“I’m going into this game the same as I’ve gone into every other game my whole entire life — college, high school,” he said. “I don’t think that I’ll put too much extra in it. I’m not gonna play any harder than I have in the past, or not harder. Big game for me. Big game for us so I’m excited to go out there and play well.”
Lance played in the first two preseason games with the San Francisco 49ers last season, including starting the opener against the Las Vegas Raiders.
After the 49ers settled on Brock Purdy as their starter and Sam Darnold as the No. 2 quarterback, Lance was traded to the Cowboys on Aug. 26. The deal happened on the same day as Dallas’ final preseason game, so he wasn’t able to suit up for that contest.
The Cowboys had Lance as their No. 3 quarterback throughout the 2023 regular season, behind Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush. He was inactive for every game during the season and their playoff matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
It’s been rough for Lance since he was the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL draft. He appeared in six games as a rookie, making two starts when Jimmy Garoppolo was injured. The North Dakota State alum threw for 603 yards, ran for 168 yards and accounted for six touchdowns.
The 49ers gave Lance the starting job going into 2022. He only played 84 snaps through the first two games before suffering a fractured ankle that required season-ending surgery.
Dating back to his time in college, Lance has thrown a total of 420 passes since 2018. He may never live up to the hype of his draft position, but he has had such limited playing time that it’s still hard to make a definitive judgment about his potential.
Lance could also be auditioning for other teams this preseason. He is entering the final season of his rookie contract and will hit free agency next offseason.
If Lance plays well for the Cowboys, he could potentially move up their depth chart before the regular season begins. He might also make himself attractive to another team looking to boost their quarterback depth.
Lance and the Cowboys will play the Rams at SoFi Stadium on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.