Could Cowboys dangle Trey Lance to bolster defense before trade deadline?
With linebacker Leighton Vander Esch expected to miss four to six weeks with a neck injury, the Dallas Cowboys may be forced to add some insurance along the front seven before the Oct. 31 trade deadline.
Dallas plays three of the NFL’s top offenses over the next three weeks (Chargers, Rams, Eagles), and adding another linebacker to replace Vander Esch makes quite a bit of sense.
But are the Cowboys willing to part with recently acquired quarterback Trey Lance to do so? They just might be, according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, who floated a possible trade scenario where Dallas sends Lance and a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Denver Broncos for linebacker Alex Singleton and a 2025 fourth-round pick.
“If they could land a linebacker who will help them compete for the top seed in the NFC and get back a chunk of that draft capital, it would make sense,” Barnwell said. “Lance is third on the Dallas quarterback depth chart, and as much as the team might bluff otherwise, it is likely to sign Dak Prescott to an extension next offseason, cutting off Lance's path to a starting job.”
Despite Prescott’s struggles, the Cowboys are tied to him through the 2024 season. Sure, they could get out of his contract at the end of 2023, but it would cost more than $61M in dead cap to do so pre-June 1 and $25.5M post-June 1.
That’s a lot of money to squander just to get rid of a QB who’s won 63% percent of his starts and led the Cowboys to four playoff appearances. It’s also a number that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones likely doesn’t feel comfortable eating.
Best-case scenario, Prescott would be serviceable enough over the next year and a half to keep Dallas competitive and play out his deal, leading to a quick transition to Lance as the Cowboys’ 2025 starter.
Although the Broncos have quite a bit of money tied up with Russell Wilson’s contract, they could cut him post-June 1 next season and absorb $35.4M in dead money, which doesn’t seem as steep considering Lance’s $1.05M base salary next year.
Or they could hold onto Wilson, have him work as Lance’s backup, and cut him post-June 1 of 2025 having just $18M in dead money while saving $37M in cap space.
“For the Broncos and Sean Payton, Lance would be a project and a potential long-term quarterback solution if the coach grows weary of Russell Wilson,” Barnwell added. “Lance would have a clearer path to reps as early as the end of the 2023 season, and his contract would be a low-cost, high-upside option for a team that lacks both draft capital and cap space.”
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