Cowboys should unleash not-so-secret weapon vs. 49ers

The Dallas Cowboys are facing off against the San Francisco 49ers in what is expected to be the best and most anticipated game of Week 5 action. The Cowboys are 3-1 and have the 2nd-best point differential (+83) in the entire NFL this season behind only the Buffalo Bills (+84). The San Francisco 49ers are 4-0 and have been dominant all season. These two teams have a lengthy history in which the 49ers lead the all-time series 15-14-1.

In order for the Dallas Cowboys to even the score, they might need to pull out all the stops. The 49ers don't really have any roster weaknesses at the moment, but does anyone really expect them to go undefeated this year? The Cowboys stand as good of a chance as anyone at beating this 49ers team, and they have a not-so-secret weapon that can help them do it.

That weapon would be none other than Trey Lance, the former 3rd overall pick by the 49ers in the 2021 NFL Draft who was traded to the Cowboys at the end of the preseason. The Cowboys decided to "buy low" on Trey Lance, who was simply being dumped by the 49ers after failing to develop into the team's franchise QB.

The 49ers were able to part ways with Lance thanks to the shocking development of current starter Brock Purdy, the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft who emerged in his rookie season as a viable starting option going forward. Lance was jettisoned, but his ability to contribute is not limited to strictly being able to run the offense as a starting quarterback.

Dating back to his time at North Dakota State, Lance has always been an exceptional runner with a great blend of speed, power (when he needs it) and elusiveness in the open field. The Cowboys, over the long term, would obviously love to see Trey Lance develop into a starting-caliber quarterback. But why not put together a package of plays for him against his former team that might give the Cowboys an edge.

Of course, the 49ers know Trey Lance and his skillset very well, but the Cowboys have yet to implement any sort of package of plays for him into their offense. And this is a Cowboys rushing attack that could use an additional element with Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn carving out a only minimal roles thus far.

Why can't the Dallas Cowboys do with Trey Lance some of what we've seen the New Orleans Saints do with Taysom Hill? Not that they have to make him a tight end and throw him a bunch of passes, but there has got to be a package of plays that can help the Cowboys keep this aggressive, fast, and very good all-around 49ers defense off balance.

One area where the Dallas Cowboys could try out a package of plays? The red zone. Dallas needs to get its red zone offense on track, and the 49ers have been susceptible to giving up touchdowns in the red zone this season. Perhaps a package of plays with Trey Lance inside the 20 could be exactly what Dallas needs not only to get that area of their offense back on track, but also to potentially pull off an upset on the road this week.

Why not unlock a new weapon in the offense in the process?