The Dallas Cowboys enter the offseason with a multitude of roster holes. Quarterback obviously isn't one of them being that Dak Prescott is the highest-paid player at the position and has arguably been a top-10 quarterback in the NFL throughout his career.
While QB isn't a glaring hole, only Prescott and journeyman Will Grier are under contract for next season. Grier was signed after Prescott's hamstring injury and served as the emergency third-string quarterback behind Cooper Rush and Trey Lance.
Both Rush and Lance are free agents. With limited cap space, the Cowboys may not pay up to keep Rush after he posted a 4-4 record in eight starts while throwing for 1,844 yards and 12 touchdowns to five interceptions.
With that in mind, Lance has been circled as an ideal re-signing. While still unproven, Lance would come cheap and be an intriguing profile to deploy behind Prescott as far as his ability to scramble and turn broken plays into positive gains.
Well, with free agency right around the corner Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones has thrown freezing cold water on the idea of Lance returning in 2025.
Cowboys all but confirm that Trey Lance won't be back in 2025, want to draft a quarterback
“We took a shot a Trey and wanted to do that,” Jones told The Dallas Morning News at the scouting combine. “We think the world of Trey... But us having Dak signed up for the long-term, I think he’s probably going to be looking for something different."
Jones went on to say that one of Dallas' "goals is to get a young quarterback in the draft," though he isn't sure of what round that might happen. He then predictably transitioned to defending the team's decision to trade a fourth-round pick for Lance during the 2023 preseason.
Stephen Jones says Cowboys want to draft a QB, likely ending Trey Lance’s time in Dallas https://t.co/YiuZvvunoc
— David Moore (@DavidMooreDMN) February 24, 2025
“That’s why we gave a [fourth-round pick] for Trey. It seems like all the quarterbacks, even guys we have in the fourth round, go in the first. They always go so much higher than what you think.”
It is worth mentioning that Dallas owns three fifth-round picks this year. That obviously won't net them a blue-chip prospect, especially in a weak QB class, but that could be the range in which the front office targets a quarterback.
It has been five years since the Cowboys drafted a quarterback. You might remember them spending a seventh-round pick on cult hero Ben DiNucci in Mike McCarthy's first season as head coach.
Teams that already have a franchise QB should arguably spend a day three pick on a quarterback every couple of years. It's easy to see why Dallas seemingly wants to go this route after relying on Rush for the last four seasons.
We'll know soon enough if Jones' comments carry any weight. Regardless, it's quite easy to read between lines of these comments. It sounds like the team wants it next backup to be on a rookie contract now that Prescott is making $60 million per year.
There might be a team out there with an established coach that is still willing to bet on Lance's physical attributes and potential upside. The last thing Dallas wants is to get into a bidding war for a work-in progress quarterback who's entering his fifth year.
And let's face it: A potential rookie draft pick might simply be better than Lance.
