Trey Lance started at quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the season 18 finale against the Washington Commanders, NFL Network’s Jane Slater reported before kick-off.
Lance, 24, made his first start for the Cowboys since the team acquired him from San Francisco 49ers before last season. He appeared in three games, completing 5 of 7 passes for 22 yards.
In a 23-19 defeat At Washington, Lance threw for 244 yards on 20-for-34 passing. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer frequently called plays that took Lance out of the pocket and away from the Commanders pass rush, allowing him to finish more easily .
Cooper Rush had started the previous eight games for Dallas, taking over after Dak Prescott suffered a hamstring injury during week 9, end-of-season surgery required. In his eight games (and 12 games total), Rush passed for 1,844 yards, 12 touchdowns, and five interceptions, completing 60.7 percent of his passes.
Lance’s start prevented Rush from win a $250,000 incentive that would come from playing 55% of the Cowboys’ snaps this season. He played 52.3% of the team’s snaps and needed 65 games to reach that incentive. according to Pro Football Talk. Rush had already earned a $250,000 bonus by playing 45 percent of Dallas’ snaps.
Lance was the No. 3 overall pick 2021 NFL Draft by the 49ers on North Dakota Statewhere he passed for 2,947 yards and 30 touchdowns, while totaling 1,325 yards and 18 scores in three seasons. Yet he only played in 17 games, making him a very raw product for the NFL in addition to playing at the FCS level of college football.
He ultimately won the starting job for the 49ers Jimmy Garoppolo during the 2022 season, but only played in two games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2.
This gave the opportunity to Brock Purdy to beat out Lance as the starter in training camp for 2023. Lance entered the season as the 49ers’ third-string QB and was traded to the Cowboys for a fourth-round pick.