For the first time in a while, Dallas Cowboys fans don’t seem to be pounding their chests in excitement about an upcoming NFL season.
The Cowboys are coming off yet another early-round playoff collapse, this time against the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round. Most of the focus this offseason has been on quarterback Dak Prescott and the fact that he’ll be a free agent next offseason unless he comes to terms with the team on a contract extension.
Behind Prescott is Trey Lance, the No. 3 pick in the 2021 draft whom Dallas traded for last summer. Lance has been thought to be teeming with talent, but he hasn’t taken the field much for actual game action dating back to his college days at North Dakota State University.
Although the Cowboys have been saying good things publicly about Lance this offseason, if they want to keep Prescott, he will continue to waste away as their QB2. He needs to get onto the field and develop into whatever he can become.
Mark Powell of FanSided suggested the Dallas Cowboys trade Lance to the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2025 fifth-round pick and a seventh-rounder in 2026.
“Despite everything the Cowboys are saying about Lance, he remains a prospect, and a young one at that,” wrote Powell. “Lance is still just 24 years old but has the talent of a former top-5 pick if any QB guru can ever unlock him. The asking price would not be high, as the Cowboys acquired him for a fourth-round pick last September.
“Dallas has little reason to trade Lance unless they can get more than one pick in return. Lance is not worth a Day 2 selection at this point in his career, as he’s a relatively unproven prospect. Trading two Day 3 picks over the course of two separate drafts, however, makes sense for the Raiders if they believe some of the rumblings out of Cowboys OTAs.”
“Dealing Lance essentially forces the Cowboys hand with Prescott, and provides his camp with even more leverage in contract talks. This trade would be best made after extending Dak, which could happen any day now.”
The Raiders currently have Aidan O’Connell, who was a rookie last year, and Gardner Minshew in their QB room. Neither looks like he could be a long-term solution for them under center, and thus it could make sense for the team to take a chance on Lance.
Lance has a fairly strong arm, and he also has the ability to extend plays and move the chains with his legs. If this type of trade were to ever happen, he would perhaps compete with O’Connell and Minshew for the QB1 job this summer in training camp.
He would quickly have some weapons to work with in star wide receiver Davante Adams and No. 2 wideout Jakobi Meyers. Plus, as the quarterback of a team that has made the playoffs twice since 2002 and hasn’t won a postseason game during that time, he wouldn’t have to deal with the intense media scrutiny that would come with being the QB1 of a team like the Dallas Cowboys.
Sooner or later, Lance has to be given the opportunity to get onto the field for game action on the regular. Potential has a shelf life, and he still seems to have some potential to become at least a solid signal-caller.
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