How Did We Get Here? Trey Lance’s fall and Dak Prescott’s uncertain ground

The Dallas Cowboys made an eyebrow-raising trade with the San Francisco 49ers late in preseason. Dallas acquired quarterback Trey Lance, who was once thought to be the future 49ers signal caller. The transaction also raised questions about the job security of current Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. We’ll take a look back at how things got to this point.

During his time at North Dakota State, Lance literally looked like a man amongst boys. In 2019, he threw 28 touchdowns without tossing a single interception. During that magical campaign, he also rushed for 1100 yards and another 14 touchdowns on the ground. It was about as flawless of a stretch as anyone has had in recent memory.

Like many collegiate athletes, Lance had to weigh the benefits of playing during a turbulent pandemic season. Ultimately, the dynamic quarterback decided not to participate in the rest of North Dakota State’s season. Lance would use this extra time to get ready for the NFL Draft, which he fully intended to enter.

Lance’s skill set fits the profile of what NFL teams are looking for out of their quarterback. He has a cannon for an arm, and the ability to make defenders miss in the pocket. The 49ers sent three first round picks and a third round pick to the Miami Dolphins in order to obtain the third overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. They grabbed Lance at that spot.

San Francisco had built a deep roster over the past couple of seasons, so there was no need to thrust Lance into the lineup if he wasn’t ready. The team decided that incumbent starter Jimmy Garoppolo was still the best option at quarterback in 2021. Lance would end up starting two games in his rookie year, with mixed results.

Even with Garoppolo on the roster ahead of the 2022 season, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan named Lance the starter heading into the year. It looked like the franchise was ready to unleash the player who had flashed such remarkable physical talent in college. This announcement made it seem like Garoppolo would never get his job back.

Lance was San Francisco’s Week 1 starter against the Chicago Bears in 2022, but the game was played in monsoon-like conditions. The former college star completed less than half of his passes, and threw one interception that day. He did post 54 yards on the ground, but the offense struggled to move the ball.

49ers fans hoped that Week 2 would be more favorable for the young starter in better weather, but it turned out that it would be the final regular season game of Lance’s San Francisco career. He suffered a season-ending ankle injury that short-circuited the ability for him to gain valuable experience.

Because their overall roster was so talented, the 49ers’ season didn’t crumble when Lance went down. Instead, the team continued to win under Garoppolo and later Brock Purdy. The 49ers advanced all the way to the NFC Championship Game despite the game of musical chairs they were playing at quarterback.

Purdy was injured in the NFC title game, and the 49ers officially parted ways with Garoppolo during the offseason. San Francisco elected to bring Sam Darnold in to compete with Lance and Purdy if the latter wasn’t healthy. Purdy was able to return to the lineup, and Darnold played better than Lance during the 2023 preseason.

The 49ers had a tough decision to make after it became clear Lance was nothing more than a third string player on their roster. San Francisco dealt significant draft capital to acquire Lance, but it didn’t seem like the situation was going to work out. As a result, they sent Lance to Dallas for a fourth round pick.

Many around the league did not predict that the Cowboys would be in the market for Lance. Dallas trade signaled to fans that Prescott’s leash on the starting job may not be as firm as initially thought. Despite making it to the playoffs on a consistent basis, Prescott has not been able to lead Dallas to an NFC Championship game.