Caleb Harris
FRISCO, Texas – Quarterback Trey Lance, the 2021 third overall pick NFL Draft for the San Francisco 49ers, experienced a collegiate and NFL development path similar to that of an out-of-control rollercoaster, but which should get back on track in 2024 with the Dallas Cowboys.
How He Became a Dallas Cowboy
Many major NCAA programs wanted him to become a full-time linebacker or safety after playing both sides of the football in high school, but he chose North Dakota State, an FCS school, because it gave him the chance to remain as defender. After redshirting as a freshman after throwing a pass in 2018, Lance dominated: He won the Jerry Rice Award (top FCS freshman) and the Walter Payton Award (top FCS offensive player, first freshman to win award) and Missouri Valley Football Conference award (first freshman to win award) in 2019.
He set the NCAA record for most pass attempts in a season (287) without throwing an interception. Lance accumulated 28 passing touchdowns, in addition to 2,786 passing yards on a 66.9% completion percentage, in addition to 1,100 yards on the ground and 14 rushing touchdowns on 169 carries, averaging 6.5 yards per carry. He led NDSU to a perfect 16-0 season, making them the first college team to go 16-0 since 1894. Then, their development came to a screeching halt thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The FCS opted to play its season in the spring, one game earlier than the fall of 2020, putting Lance in a difficult situation. He came through once again in that year’s only fall game, throwing for 149 yards, two passing touchdowns and one interception – the only one of his career – on 15-of-30 passing, while compiling 143 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on 15. brings a win against Central Arkansas.
Lance opted out of the spring season and based on 318 collegiate passes, the San Francisco 49ers and head coach Kyle Shanahan saw enough to trade nine spots with the Miami Dolphins, from the 12th overall pick to the third overall pick, at the cost of three first-round picks and a 2022 third-round selection to select the dual-threat collegiate dynamo. How small was Lance’s college job? Twenty-eight NFL quarterbacks have thrown more passes in 2023 than Lance has thrown in three seasons of college football in the state of North Dakota (318) from 2018-2020.
After a redshirt year in the NFL behind Jimmy Garoppolo in 2021, Lance was primed to start and take Shanahan’s offense to new heights in 2022. That was derailed after he suffered a season-ending broken ankle that required surgery in the week 2 because by the time he was healthy again, the 49ers had become Brock Purdy’s team. So San Francisco waived him when Cowboys owner Jerry Jones called and offered to send them Dallas’ 2024 fourth-round pick. without consulting coach Mike McCarthy on the eve of the team’s 2023 preseason finale on August 25.
What’s new in 2024
The timing of the trade took a toll on Lance, as he had to learn an entirely new offense without the benefit of off-season practice reps, which meant his 2023 largely consisted of watching quarterback Dak Prescott and backup Cooper Rush run the scheme in training and games. Now, Lance has his first real opportunity this preseason to prove what he can do and whether he can show some of the potential that led to him being the third overall pick in the 2021 draft.
“I think the biggest thing for me is that I learned a lot about myself,” Lance said of the past year. “Who I am on and off the field, and this offseason, I probably feel at my best, both mentally, physically, spiritually. I just need to know who I am, where I am and be able to be present.”
McCarthy applauded his athleticism at organized team activities (OTAs) on Wednesday and declared he will take a large portion of the snaps in the Cowboys’ preseason games.
“There are limits and development for every position. Quarterback is no different and Trey is no different. Obviously, he had prior experience in San Francisco,” McCarthy said at OTAs on Wednesday. “It’s obviously an experience he can always draw on, being involved in a different attack. I was very, very pleased. The athletic ability is excellent. We’ve tweaked a few things about his movements. I don’t want to go into detail about it, but you can see the improvement in the timing of the young defenders. he is no different. He needs reps and you’re trying to give him as many reps as possible throughout this offseason program. He will take up much of the pre-season, that’s the design. what we are building.”
A smile and a laugh came across Lance’s face at the mention of being an important part of Dallas’ preseason plans, as McCarthy rarely uses his starters in league exhibition games. Prescott never threw a preseason pass under McCarthy, who became his head coach four years ago in 2020.
“I’m excited. I’m really excited,” Lance said Wednesday at OTAs while smiling. “Obviously, I haven’t played a snap in a live game since last preseason. [with the 49ers], so excited. I’m looking forward to it and making sure I’m ready to go when the time comes.”
What was best for Lance in 2024? Just everything.
“Protections, everything. I feel like I’m in a much better position this year,” Lance said. “As far as getting to know the guys, knowing how they run the routes, everything.”
He kept most of the work with his throwing process in the footwork department thanks to learning McCarthy’s West Coast shotgun-heavy offense after starting his NFL career in Shanahan’s subcenter-heavy offense. The Cowboys have thrown the ball out of the shotgun on first-and-10 or more on 167 passes in 2023, the 11th most in the NFL. On the other hand, the 49ers did this with 143 passes last season, tied for the 10th fewest such plays last season, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“I didn’t really talk about my throwing motion at all, just the footwork and the different drops we do during the game,” Lance said. … “San Francisco, we weren’t really backing down and passing out [shot] gun [formation on] first and 10 times too much. It’s totally different here where we can do that. We have the guys to do it and obviously the coaching staff as well.”
If the worst-case scenario occurs in Prescott’s case contract negotiations with the Jones family and the Cowboys front office, Lance would be Dallas’ most promising and young option, as the team simply won’t be bad enough to draft a quarterback in the top 10 of the draft. They have won at least 12 consecutive games in each of the last three years, something the Cowboys haven’t done since the 1990s. Super Bowl years of dynasty. Despite the potential for an awkward dynamic, Prescott made sure her relationship with Lance was warm and welcoming.
“Firstly, I believe you are only as good as your weakest link, so for me it is about attracting young people. And by no means, I’m not calling Trey the weakest link, so don’t try to get this with words or a clicker for you guys, I know how you feel, but it’s a matter of bringing other people in, and every time I do that, I I make it better,” Prescott said at OTAs on Wednesday. she asked about helping her high-pedigree backup. “So just in the sense of helping Trey and talking to Trey, I’m getting better. I’m more focused on my feet. I’m not going to tell him to do something and then do the opposite and be a hypocrite. It keeps me more accountable and it’s fun, At the end of the day, I love seeing someone improve, seeing someone get excited, feeling the joy that I feel when I improve from one day to the next. The team is going to get better, and it’s not just me doing that, it’s other guys, receivers, bringing guys in. young guys, the forwards bringing these guys with them.
Confidence, an element Prescott identified as most crucial to a quarterback’s success, is something Lance has grown exponentially in over the past year.
“Much better,” Prescott said of Lance’s development from when he arrived late in the preseason last year to today. “I’m excited about where he is now, from the moment he arrived. Firstly, I think this position has 80% confidence. , being a great teammate, being accepted by all your teammates and really wanting to help this team. I think what changed was his mentality of working and: ‘How can I improve?’ Asking me questions, Coop (Rush) questions, coaches questions. He’s calling guys. [to go throw]. He works like hell. He’s pushing me. I can tell you that.”
Lance agreed.
“I think it is [my confidence] much, much higher than when I entered the NFL, for sure,” Lance said. “I guess I didn’t know what to expect, that’s probably most rookies at one point or another during their first year, first off-season, but I feel great where I’m at. Continue to improve, continue to learn and continue to be a better quarterback.”
Prescott, the NFL’s passing touchdowns leader (36) in 2023, says he doesn’t feel threatened by his 24-year-old backup as he enters the final year of a four-year, $160 million contract in 2024. of course as long as the three-time Pro Bowler’s normal quota of practice reps remains unchanged.
“I don’t like allowing other people to take more reps than me,” Prescott said. “Trey is the person to watch because he’s trying to get there in the rep count. It’s a testament to him and how dedicated he is to it. I’ve seen him and he’s improved. Yes, he can play. … While If he’s getting better, I promise I’m getting better. I hope he pushes me. I hope he makes people think about who I’m going to be and confident in the person and the player that I am, I hope he pushes me.”
To even entertain “competition” with Prescott, he will need to usurp longtime backup Cooper Rush for the QB2 role. Rush won four of his five starts in Prescott’s place in the 2022 season when Dak needed surgery on his throwing hand because of a thumb injury in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Us [Lance and Rush] we were talking about this [their competition]. My mindset hasn’t really changed,” Lance said of the opportunity to compete to move up the Cowboys’ depth chart to the top backup spot. “I didn’t really attack this offseason any differently. I just worry about controlling what I can control, continuing to learn the offense, continuing to get closer to these guys and the coaching staff as well. I’m just working on it.”
