Once upon a time, Jerry Jones thought he would try and outsmart the league. Actually, that could be an evergreen type of statement if we're being honest. Nonetheless, for the sake of the topic at hand, we're talking about when the Dallas Cowboys traded a fourth-round pick to acquire former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance.
Once a Niner, once a Cowboy and then a Los Angeles Charger, Lance is now getting his opportunity to start out the 2025 preseason under the lights.
Lance is going to get the nod for Los Angeles as the Chargers take on the Detroit Lions in this year's Hall of Fame Game. If this were the regular season, Cowboys fans might be wondering "what if?"
Yet, this is the least-important game on the calendar, and it might be Lance's final shot to prove he has anything, at all, to offer this league.
Trey Lance could remind Cowboys fans just how bad the original trade was on Thursday night
The trade which saw the Cowboys acquire Lance back in August of 2023 ended up looking even worse after the 2024 season. That pick which the 49ers snagged in exchange for Lance wound up being used on safety Malik Mustapha, who started 12 games for San Francisco as a rookie last year.
Mustapha had a strong season, being particularly good in run defense and pass rush situations.
Never you mind the Cowboys would have loved to be able to use that pick on oh, let's say, a running back at the time. But, that's besides the point.
On Thursday night, Lance might end up balling out. We have no idea. If he does, maybe that makes Cowboys fans feel even worse knowing what could have been. Maybe, just maybe, Jim Harbaugh is exactly what Lance needed.
On the other hand, if Lance plays poorly, that could also be spun negatively for the Cowboys. It would just remind Dallas how awful a trade that was in the first place.
To be frank, it's nothing more than a lose-lose situation at this point.
Oh, and for the record and for those who might not be tracking, Lance made just one start in Dallas (and it was a loss).