First Look at Trey Lance in Dallas Uniform as Cowboys Fall to Rams in First Preseason Game
As the NFL season draws near and preseason football is now underway, many players are lobbying for a spot on the Cowboys roster. One of these guys is going to be quarterback Trey Lance. Lance, after getting traded from Green Bay to Dallas prior to last offseason, did not see a snap all of last season, nor did he suit up. The former first-rounder was the third-string quarterback behind Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush. Lance took most of the snaps under center today and looked decent doing so. In the 13-12 loss, he completed 25 of his 41 passes, threw for 188 yards, and rushed for 44 yards which led the team. He didn’t throw a touchdown or an interception. Lance had a couple of poor throws throughout the game, but that has to be expected for the first game of preseason, especially for a guy who hasn’t seen the field since last preseason.
However, besides Lance, the rest of the offense looked flat. Malik Davis, another guy trying to keep his roster spot, rushed for 18 yards on eight attempts. On the other hand, Davis looked solid catching passes out of the backfield, catching two passes for 20 yards. If he can be a good receiving back, it can be a boost to an underwhelming Dallas running back room. The Cowboys had four other guys with 20+ receiving yards other than Davis. Jalen Brooks led the team with 49 yards, Kelvin Harmon had 38, Jalen Moreno-Cropper had 26 and Deontay Burnett had 23.
Even though the offense struggled, the defense looked pretty good. Markquese Bell, Eric Scott, Julius Wood, and Brock Mogensen all picked off Stetson Bennett. Both Wood and Mogensen were undrafted, so those two getting interceptions were huge for them if they are looking to land a roster spot with the Cowboys or elsewhere. However, the defense did collapse in the Rams’ last drive of the game, with multiple penalties leading to a last-second, game-winning touchdown from Bennett. Other than that drive, it was a very solid game.
Even though it’s only week one of preseason, we already have the Lance vs. Rush storyline to watch. With most of the big names not likely to play until week four, if at all, watching those two compete for the backup role is going to be exciting. If Lance can play like he did today, it very well may be his job to lose. Can Lance revitalize his young career, or will Rush keep his backup job?
