Reporter can't make sense of Cowboys trade for Trey Lance

The Cowboys' shocking trade for former 49ers quarterback Trey Lance still has some scratching their heads.

While Dallas may want to light a fire under quarterback Dak Prescott, that doesn't make sense since Lance cannot challenge him for the starting job this season, and he isn't a viable backup.

"I don't get this from the Dallas perspective," NBC Sports Peter King wrote of the trade. "[Backup QB] Cooper Rush went 4-1 when Prescott was hurt last year, and I doubt sincerely that [head coach] Mike McCarthy would start Lance over Rush in 2023 if Prescott gets hurt again. So this is a play to get Lance in the building and see what he's got, I guess."

Lance, the third overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, struggled during his first two seasons. In eight games with the 49ers, he completed 54.9 percent of his passes and posted a 34.2 QBR — well below the league average. To improve, he must play, which probably won't happen this season.

Even though Aaron Rodgers developed under McCarthy while he served as Green Bay HC from 2006 to 2018, he might not have time to work with the young QB since he'll be consumed with leading Dallas to its first Super Bowl title in 27 years.

Prescott has two years left on his contract and a potential out in 2024. Yet activating it would incur $61.9M in dead cap, per Spotrac. Also, if the Cowboys want to move on from Prescott, they can draft a QB next year. It's a deep class. ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid believes six QBs have first-round potential. 

"Well [Lance] gives us an opportunity — to at a level that we had probably never gone in the draft — to work and develop a young QB," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said during a Saturday news conference.

However, that logic is flawed since Dallas isn't focused on the growth of young players this season. Overall, it's a bemusing move and creates unnecessary drama for a team trying to capture its sixth title.