George Walker/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesDallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters on Thursday that backup quarterback Trey Lance is "definitely" showing major progress and starting to have an excellent handle on the team's scheme.
"Now starting to get the timing with the routes. ... He's close to being a master of the system," he said. "He has a really high understanding. ... He just needs as many reps as he can."
Granted, fans likely won't see that supposed mastery anytime soon. Lance is currently the third-string quarterback behind Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush, and given that Prescott is a three-time Pro Bowler—and his backup, Rush, has been very good when called upon, with a 5-1 record as the starter—that pecking order isn't changing anytime soon.
The hope for Dallas is that Lance thrives in preseason games, putting a good tape out there for the rest of the NFL to see. That, in turn, could make him a prospective trade target for teams who deal with quarterback injury issues early in the season, perhaps fetching the team a better draft pick than the fourth-rounder they sent to San Francisco in Aug. 2023.
Call it a return on investment.
There are three other possibilities, of course. The first is that Lance takes such enormous steps this offseason that he surpasses Rush as the backup. He's ready for that battle.
"This offseason, I've been at my best mentally, physically, spiritually knowing who I am, where I am and being able to be present," he told reporters last week.
"[My confidence] is much higher than it was when I got into the NFL, for sure," he added. "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."
The second is that the Cowboys are the team that deals with injuries at quarterback and Lance becomes an instrumental depth piece.
And the third is more interesting. Given the looming extension decision the team has to make with Prescott, could Lance be a long-term insurance plan should the team decide Prescott isn't worth the contract he asks for?
Jon Machota @jonmachotaDak Prescott said Trey Lance has gotten "so much better" in his time with the Cowboys. "I'm excited for where he is now. … He works his ass off. He's pushing me. I'm somebody that I don't like to let other people get more reps than me, and Trey is the person I need to watch,… <a href="https://t.co/XT7iZmGaVS">pic.twitter.com/XT7iZmGaVS</a>
Lance is still just 24 years old and a former first-round pick. In theory, he has far more upside than a player like Rush. Could the Cowboys be grooming him as a potential future starter?
Possible, but the Cowboys have a definitive window to compete right now, and moving on from Prescott would be an enormous risk. You never know in Jerry World, but that feels like the most unlikely of the possible scenarios that could play out.
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