When the Trey Lance experiment failed in San Francisco, Dallas jumped at the opportunity to add the former third-overall pick of the 2021 draft.
Eighteen months later, it appears the Cowboys are also ready to move on from Lance. Cowboys COO and co-owner Stephen Jones said Monday they anticipate Lance will seek employment elsewhere in March, and Dallas will likely look at drafting a new developmental quarterback in April.
"We took a shot a Trey and wanted to do that," Jones . "We think the world of Trey. But us having Dak (Prescott) signed up for the long-term, I think he's probably going to be looking for something different."
It's convenient to blame an anticipated parting on a lack of opportunity at the top of the depth chart, but as the Cowboys demonstrated in their reliance on Cooper Rush in 2024, Lance was never in contention to take serious reps under center. They waited until Week 18 to give him a legitimate chance in a season that was knocked off the rails by Prescott's hamstring injury months earlier, and even in a draft class that isn't loaded at the position, Dallas is choosing to entertain selecting a new prospect over retaining Lance.
That alone explains the Cowboys' feelings regarding Lance. Now, they have to find a new candidate to groom over the long haul.
"You know, I think one of our goals is to get a young quarterback in the draft," Jones said. "I don't know where that's going to be.
"That's why we gave a [fourth-round pick] for Trey. It seems like all the quarterbacks, even guys we have in the fourth round, go in the first. They always go so much higher than what you think."
Dallas isn't exactly set at the position, either. Rush, a quarterback who went 4-4 as a starter in 2024 and owns a 9-5 record in starts over his career, is also headed toward free agency, and Jones isn't certain they'll be able to keep him, either.
"You know how much we think of Cooper," Jones said. "We just don't know what he's going to cost. When we're paying Dak what we're paying him, unfortunately we do have to go cheap there."
With Lance's lack of production, he'd likely come cheap, but Dallas doesn't seem interested in pursuing such a deal. Rush has played well enough to earn a slight raise, but nothing exorbitant. Extending their partnership isn't out of the realm of possibility.
When it comes to the draft, Dallas won't find a more affordable backup option than a rookie quarterback selected after the first round.
If the Cowboys have learned anything during the Prescott era, it's the importance of a quality backup seated behind him. Prescott has suffered a couple of season-ending injuries in his career, as well as another that arrived late in the 2022 campaign and forced Rush into action. He's proven to be a quality second option, which isn't found as easily as most general managers would like.
Entering 2025 without a veteran backup would seem treacherous. The Cowboys have stated they intend to be more active in free agency than they were a year ago, and that approach should include quarterback.
Just don't expect Lance to be included in their plans.
