Right now, the Dallas Cowboys are riding low. They have a 10-4 record after losing to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, and they sit in second place in the NFC East still with a real shot at claiming the top seed in the conference.
There were the usual questions about quarterback Dak Prescott weeks ago, but he has responded to those doubts, at least for now. He had a string of impressive performances, and as a result, he is currently considered a favorite to win the regular season MVP award. Unfortunately, he put together a rough game in Week 15.
Dallas has an intriguing backup quarterback named Trey Lance who they acquired in a preseason trade with the San Francisco 49ers for a mere fourth-round draft pick. Unless Prescott has some more bad performances in big games or suffers a major injury, Lance will not get any playing time with the team anytime soon.
The best bet for him, and Dallas by extension, would be for him to be traded to a team that actually needs a new signal-caller. Connor Livesay of The 33rd Team suggested the Minnesota Vikings could be a landing spot for the 23-year-old.
NFL News & Updates: Trey Lance, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings Updates
“When the Dallas Cowboys traded for Trey Lance this offseason, questions regarding Dak Prescott were at the forefront of the conversation,” Livesay wrote in a December 8 article titled “Surprising NFL Players Who Could Be Traded This Offseason.”
“Prescott has answered those questions with an MVP-caliber season. This offseason, he’s likely looking to receive his second big-money contract extension with the Cowboys.
“If the Cowboys stick with Rush at QB2, they could start calling quarterback-needy teams that missed out on Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels in the 2024 NFL Draft.
“Lance might raise the ceiling on Dallas’ QB2 spot, but the Cowboys could get a better return for Lance than what they paid from teams such as the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints or Seattle Seahawks. If those teams miss out on the top passers in the draft, they could see Lance as a viable option.”
Lance was the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and the 49ers gave up quite a bit of draft capital to be able to draft him. After serving as a backup during his rookie year, he was tabbed as San Francisco’s starter just prior to the beginning of last season.
But he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2, and Garoppolo took over again under center. When Garoppolo was sidelined for the rest of the year in Week 13 with a foot injury, Brock Purdy, the last player taken in the 2022 draft, became an instant revelation, making Lance expendable.
Lance, who is a Minnesota native, hasn’t played a lot of organized football to this point. He only had a season and change of college football at North Dakota State University, and for him to become whatever he will become, he will need to play consistently and be able to fail forward.
For the Vikings, Kirk Cousins is out with a torn Achilles and will be a free agent this offseason. It may not be wise for them to give the 35-year-old Cousins an extension, and therefore Lance may be a decent option for them.
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