Around a week ago, the Dallas Cowboys acquired quarterback Trey Lance from the San Francisco 49ers via trade. Will Lance’s arrival result in a quarterback controversy in the upcoming season? With the Dallas Cowboys’ 53-man roster now settled (for now), it is a good time to revisit the impacts of Lance’s arrival.
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Cowboys Hoping Trey Lance Trade Does Not Cause Controversy in 2023
It has been a while since the Cowboys made a shock splash in the off-season. Long gone are the heady days when Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson made blockbuster trades. They blazed a trail and assembled a roster that won multiple Super Bowls.
Since that time there has been a downward trend in trying to risk everything on one superstar player, or a trade that would involve shifting many pieces around to no real advantage. There have been steady draft selections and a slow build to get the Cowboys where they are now, which is on the fringe of being talked about as a real contender.
This preseason, Grier showed the organization what he could offer as a third-string quarterback. Dak Prescott is, of course, the marquee starter that all hopes are pinned on. As shown last season Cooper Rush can step up if necessary, so there was no real positional battle.
Grier Grief
Grier performed well in all three outings in the warmup games. He had an outstanding showing against the Las Vegas Raiders in the last game, when he went 29 of 35 and managed 305 yards. He also ran for 54 more, having a hand in all four touchdowns scored in a 31-16 victory.
But, just days before, the Cowboys had traded a 2024 fourth-round pick for the quarterback that the 49ers had pinned long-term hopes on just three years ago. As a result, the Cowboys cut Grier in the final cuts (he has since been picked up on the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad).
Lance suffered an injury in a Week 2 game against the Seattle Seahawks in 2022. Following surgery and a long rehabilitation process, San Francisco marched on without him.
Should the Cowboys stutter this season, Lance could have the chance to resurrect his career. Given Lance’s NFL experience, coach Mike McCarthy could elevate the new man above Rush. This could create a disharmonious situation in the locker room.
TREY LANCE 80-YARD TOUCHDOWN 😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/Vq4KAEugvC
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) August 15, 2021
Trey Lance Trade to Cause Controversy?
The Cowboys have, in the past, dealt with quarterback controversies quite poorly. They will want to avoid a new one, should a worst-case scenario start to play out.
The deal to get Lance in was done quietly, and only those on the inside knew. Even Prescott has gone on record to address this: “I’ve said before and I make it known, I understand that’s the front office and they have a job to do, and I believe in everything that they’re doing. So, I’m excited to, as we have, welcome Trey and just continue to make our offense better and our team better. I know he’s gonna do everything he can to do that.”
Prescott will want everything to go as smoothly as possible as he approaches nearly a decade in the league. Incidentally, San Francisco are the team that has landed Dallas the knockout blow in the last two playoffs. Nothing will be better than Prescott and Lance working together to jump that hurdle if they come across it again.
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