Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy regrets not giving Trey Lance some reps late in Monday night’s 34-10 loss to the Texans. But owner Jerry Jones has no desire to see Lance start a game for the Cowboys.
“I don’t know about that,” Jones said of Lance potentially starting. “I want to give our team the very best chance it can — in all phases — to be successful. So, we’re going to go here with the quarterback that gives us the best chance to win the game.”
That means Cooper Rush will continue to start, as he has since Dak Prescott tore his hamstring in a Nov. 3 game against the Falcons. Rush has played 158 snaps since Prescott’s injury, including 128 of 143 offensive plays the past two games.
The Cowboys gave Lance 15 snaps in the fourth quarter of the 34-6 loss to the Eagles in Week 10.
It makes no sense the Cowboys wouldn’t want to see Lance.
They are 3-7, including 0-2 with Rush, and they are headed toward a coaching change in the offseason. Both Rush and Lance are free agents in March, and the Cowboys gave the 49ers a fourth-round draft pick for Lance just before the start of the 2023 season.
Lance’s 15 snaps against the Eagles counts as the only regular-season action he has gotten in his two seasons with the Cowboys.
Jones was asked about why he wouldn’t want to see Lance start a game considering all those factors.
“Yeah, I think our best chance is to have Rush in here, and the goal is to win the game,” Jones said.
That statement is damning for Lance. It sounds like the Cowboys have seen enough of Lance in practice and the preseason that they don’t need to see anymore to know that they are moving on after this season.
The Cowboys repeatedly have said Lance “just needs reps.” Yet, they are not giving him reps when they have nothing left to play for in 2024.
“I’ve seen a lot of improvement [in Lance],” Jones said. “I think he does some things really outstanding. I think his footwork is noticeably better, and I see the value of the reps that he’s had. So, I’ve seen improvement there.”
He just has no desire to see if Lance has improved when it comes to playing in regular-season games.
So, as it stands now, the trade with the 49ers for Lance ranks as one of the worst in team history.
