Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy reveals offseason, preseason plan to develop Trey Lance in 2024

One of the biggest stories of this Dallas Cowboys offseason, which is heating up as the team goes through OTAs, is Trey Lance's development. 

After trading a fourth-round pick away for him, the Cowboys essentially have only one offseason to look at him and determine what's the next step with him.

Head coach Mike McCarthy recently talked to reporters about Lance's development as well as what the plan is for the quarterback expected to back up Dak Prescott in 2024.

"There are thresholds and development stages for every position, and quarterback is no different, and Trey is no different," McCarthy explained to reporters on Tuesday. "Obviously, he had prior experience in San Francisco, so that's an experience he'll always be able to draw from. We're involved in a different offense, and the position is played differently for every quarterback in every organization."

McCarthy praised Lance's work thus far and even got into slight detail before holding back, revealing they've adjusted his motion which has led to improvement in his overall technique. 

"He's crossing the thresholds of training, and I've been very, very pleased," McCarthy admitted. "His athletic ability is top-notch. We've adjusted some things in his motion — I don't want to get into specifics — but you can see the improvement in timing."

The one thing thing Trey Lance truly needs in 2024 

At the end of the day, McCarthy is well aware of the one thing his young quarterback needs this offseason and preseason and it happens to be something he'll only get prior to September: Reps.

"Young quarterbacks need reps, and we're trying to get him as many reps as we can throughout this offseason program," McCarthy added. "He will take a large part of the preseason, and that's the design. Him and I talk about preseason quite often because that's what we're building towards."

What that means for Cooper Rush remains to be seen. But considering the draft capital the Cowboys gave up to land Lance in addition to the $5.3M he is due in 2024, it's clear the team hopes to demote Rush to QB3 if not cut him. 

If reps is what Lance really needs - and film backs up this claim from Mike McCarthy - could we see full games from him in August? We'll find out soon enough.