The Dallas Cowboys have made a significant change at quarterback for their final game of the regular season.
After Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending injury earlier this year, the team relied on backup quarterback Cooper Rush to lead the offense.
Rush has been the starter since Prescott’s injury, but the Cowboys appear to be shifting gears for their Sunday matchup against the Washington Commanders.
According to Jane Slater of the NFL Network, the Cowboys have chosen to start Trey Lance instead of Rush.
“Trey Lance will get the start for Dallas according to a team source. His first regular season start since Week 2 2022 when he was injured with the 49ers. ‘Raw’ is a word used a lot around here but I’m told they love his athleticism. Footwork, offense and trying to get him meaningful reps have been his biggest challenges here. Set to hit the open market this offseason it allows the Cowboys a meaningful evaluation,” Slater shared in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Slater also highlighted an intriguing statistic comparing Lance’s limited experience to that of other young NFL quarterbacks.
“A wild stat? Consider the NFL and College Pass Attempts of players like Bo Nix (2,474) Jayden Daniels (1,906) Trey Lance (427),” she noted.
This marks Lance’s first start since joining the Cowboys ahead of the 2023 season.
Initially selected as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, Lance was traded to the Cowboys after the 49ers determined Brock Purdy to be their quarterback of the future.
Needless to say, Lance’s first start with the Cowboys led to a lot of reactions on social media.
“He’s the next Sam Darnold. He’s going to bounce back if given a legit opportunity ever again,” one person wrote on X.
“Trey Lance really needs a minor league NFL. Can’t develop if you can’t play,” someone else said.
“Could’ve been not challenging at all to give him meaningful reps since they’ve been eliminated for weeks, but they chose not to,” another person wrote.
“Although not mathematically, but realistically the season has been over for a couple months, so not sure how getting him reps has been a challenge. That being said, I’m glad he is today, they spent a 4th rd pick on the guy that could have been a RB, so he needs an opportunity,” someone else said.
“Raw after 4 years in the NFL doesn’t sound encouraging,” another person said.
All eyes will be on Lance to see how he performs on Sunday.
