Despite throwing five INTs in the preseason, there are chances of Jerry Jones making Trey Lance Dallas Cowboys starting QB after Dak Prescott leaves.

Trey Lance will eventually takeover from Dak Prescott as starting QB of Dallas Cowboys (Image via Imago)

The Dallas Cowboys and their tumultuous season are not giving their fans much to cheer for. The player departures, coaching changes, lack of offseason signings, contract standoffs, nothing is giving them something to cheer for.

Fans of ‘America’s team’ want Jerry Jones to give them some semblance of hope. But with Dak Prescott‘s contract still not resolved and Trey Lance throwing 5 interceptions in the preseason, the dilemma continues.

Even with so much trouble in paradise, what if Jones is prepared to take on any pressure? He has been in business for long enough to know that certain things do not have straightforward answers. Like the contract extension he just signed CeeDee Lamb to. It took a while, but finally, both sides settled and shook hands. At least for the next few years their All-Pro wideout will be the primary pass catcher on the field.

Coming to the person who throws him the ball, there are question marks all over the place. Dak Prescott is coming off an All-Pro season too. The natural suggestion would be to ‘give him his bag’. But Jerry Jones knows all too well, as do much of the footballing world, that the 31-year-old has apparently reached his ceiling. The most glaring problem with that ceiling is the number 0.

That is the number of Divisional playoff wins he has in 5 attempts. Not a convincing stat to pay him the unreal amount he is seeking. But the Cowboys need a quarterback to keep their playoff and possibly Super Bowl hopes going. Most fans will feel their season is in a rut as they cannot turn to Trey Lance after his horrendous preseason game. But maybe those interceptions are not showing the correct picture.

Trey Lance needs time on the ball with the first-team

The former third-overall pick played in all three preseason games and threw a total of 113 passes. Of those, his receivers caught 61% of them. Pretty decent when considering he was throwing to second and third-tier receivers. But what those stats do not show are those 5 interceptions. The first part would almost confirm his spot on the roster, but the second part would generally make anyone else pack their bags.
Aside from his 5 INTs, his preseason games showed Trey Lance is capable of becoming great (Image via Imago)
However, one has to watch the game, especially every drive to know how he played. Leave the interceptions aside, and his reads were good, except for a few plays. His pre-snap judgments and calls were decent, and his diagnosis as the pocket collapsed was lightning quick. All those intangibles generally suggest that his fundamentals are in good shape and better than most backup quarterbacks.

But he played with multiple receivers throughout each game. He was not afforded the opportunity to play a full game with any one group. Even his centers were swapped out every half. Now one can say that it is how preseason games are for any player. But if Dak Prescott was in his place, would the Dallas Cowboys swap so many players every quarter?

The argument here is that as a backup quarterback, those reps were good enough to gauge. But he is not a part of that team to be a backup. That role is for Cooper Rush. Trey Lance, on the other hand, was signed with the goal to become the starting quarterback. So, to be that he will need to practice and play games with a starting offensive unit.

Dak Prescott not convincing enough for Jerry Jones

Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is an All-Pro and the second highest-paid non-QB in the league. Starting guards Zack Martin and Tyler Smith are Pro-Bowlers along with tight end Jake Ferguson. Any quarterback worth his salt would do decently well with this unit. Dak Prescott had Tyron Smith along with them last season. Not to forget that all-world Dallas Cowboys defense.
Dak Prescott does not convince Jerry Jones (Image via Imago)
Still, they lost in the wild-card round to a quarterback who just played one full season. One would think that certain aspects did not work right, but those excuses are piling up. No wonder Jerry Jones has been hesitant to pay Prescott an astronomical salary. Maybe he feels that Lance would do better with those Pro Bowl starters.

After all, he was a third-overall pick who cost the San Francisco 49ers three additional first-round picks as well as a third-round pick. There must be a reason why the likes of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch parted with that much crucial draft capital for the 24-year-old. This could be what Jones is holding on to. The upside is far greater in his eyes than the ceiling Prescott has hit.

Jerry Jones will probably wait and watch

Despite the ceiling, Prescott gives the Dallas Cowboys a legitimate chance of at least reaching the playoffs. Trey Lance, on the other hand, with his five interceptions, cannot be handed the keys to the first-team offense, yet. It seems all signs point to a potential contract extension for his starting quarterback.
Trey Lance has a higher upside than any other Dallas Cowboys QB (Image via Blue Star Brasil/X)
Jerry Jones still has an option though. He can wait and decide on Prescott once the season is over. But that could become extremely expensive if the 31-year-old posts another Pro Bowl season. The gamble can prove beneficial if his ultimate goal is to make Lance the starter. Prescott leaving for nothing will not hurt him as much as paying him 50+ million for the next two years at the least.

That extension will scupper any chance of getting his backup QB a chance at getting on to the field at the earliest. The longer a quarterback stays on the sidelines, the lesser the chances of him fulfilling his true potential. Jones will be wise to not wait for another two years and risk losing Lance for nothing.

A team with a need at quarterback might snap him up next offseason. Then there will be nothing the longtime owner and GM can do. His remarks after Lance finished that horrendous game might be the ultimate clue. That Jones, is in fact, waiting to hand over the keys to Lance.