Cowboys: Where does Trey Lance fit in future plans?

As the Dallas Cowboys approach a tough decision regarding Dak Prescott and his future, the player many in the fanbase are wondering about to various degrees is Trey Lance.

A former third overall pick that inspired the San Francisco 49ers to trade away three first-round draft picks got to Dallas at a steep discount when the Cowboys traded for him in August of last year for a fourth-rounder.

While it's clear that the Cowboys' most likely path forward is extending Prescott, the future of one likely impacts the other. And at the very least, we've got to assume that a franchise that values draft picks so highly was looking for something when they gave up draft capital for a guy on a two-year deal. Whether their mindset was just a "let's see if we hit the lottery" or "we think this bet is likely to hit" is impossible to tell. 

The big problem with Trey Lance's future

The big and urgent problem with Lance is that fans, media, and even the coaching staff itself doesn't know much about Lance's present, which makes his future a mystery they simply might not have enough time to unravel.

After all, the front office not only needs to deal with Prescott's $60 million cap hit and a decision about his future but Lance's fifth-year option is up after this year's NFL Draft, which is projected to be a fully guaranteed $19.1M. Are the Cowboys planning to pay big money to two quarterbacks? Did they trade for Lance only to have him hit unrestricted free agency in 2025 where they're not likely to keep him in a QB-needy league? How do you make that decision if you don't know where he stands? 

Cowboys reporter Joseph Hoyt from Texas Lone Star Live joined my nightly show A to Z Sports Dallas Primetime to discuss all things about the team's "run it back" strategy, including the perception of Lance within the building. 

"It's a great unknown with Trey Lance," Hoyt said. "I think this last year, that's something that the Cowboys coaches have really rigorously tried to kind of identify is 'Where does this guy stand? (...) Is there something here?"

Cowboys fans or outsiders don't have a way of knowing if they found anything in there yet. And chances are they simply didn't discover much as there's very little time in a fast-paced season to work with a third-string quarterback and his development. Had Dallas acquired Lance in May of last year, things would be different. 

"I don't think there's a lot to really put stock in with Trey Lance right now and I think that's because we haven't seen much from him, the Cowboys haven't seen much of him in a game-type situation," Hoyt added.

Keep in mind, the last time Lance played a truly extended period of time was back in 2019 in North Dakota State. In 2020, he attempted 30 passes before the season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, he sat behind Jimmy Garoppolo. Fast forward to 2022, which was supposed to be his year, and a Week 2 ankle injury ended his season. After that, it was Brock Purdy's team and Kyle Shanahan sent him away to Dallas. Since that 2019 season ended, Lance has attempted 132 passes. 

If there's somebody that can provide any insight on Lance's development since arriving to The Star is quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien, who has clearly been a big part of this particular project.

So much so that his gameday routine started much before pregame workouts, when he took the field with Lance to work with him on gamedays even though the  young quarterback was a healthy scratch for the entire season.

"Part of the process with Trey Lance is he is the first one out on the field before every pregame. Him and (QB coach) Scott Tolzien are out there and they're running a full-on script of pass plays every single game," Hoyt explained. "Trying to get associated with and kind of get more insight into what an game-type situation might be. So if anyone knows about Trey Lance's potential is definitely Scott Tolzien."

The clock is ticking for the Cowboys at the quarterback position and there are many important dates to keep an eye out for. If they're going to extend Prescott, why not do it before free agency to finally make big-time additions to a team that needs that boost to get over the hump? Then, there's May, when the Cowboys need to make a decision of Lance's fifth-year option.

The Lance mystery is an intriguing one but Cowboys Nation should ready itself for all of this to lead to absolutely nothing.