Why the Cowboys trading for Trey Lance would be a boneheaded move

The NFL regular season is just two weeks away and teams are scrambling with last-minute roster shuffles. The Dallas Cowboys likely aren't scheming any major curveballs, but the league itself has been very trade-friendly of late.

For one, the Cardinals are tanking and are selling off key pieces. Elsewhere, though, the 49ers seemingly have made Trey Lance available for trade after they listed Sam Darnold as their No. 2 quarterback behind starter Brock Purdy.

As one of the Cowboys' biggest non-division rivals, fans are enjoying watching the 49ers' Lance experiment go up in flames. They famously traded three first-round picks to move up to No. 3 overall for Lance in the 2021 draft.

While Lance is still a young QB with untapped potential, the Cowboys would be crazy to entertain a trade for the out-of-favor gunslinger.

No, the Cowboys should not trade for 49ers QB Trey Lance.

There's definitely some appeal at the thought of netting Lance at a discount. His physical attributes and arm strength are undeniable, but we're talking about a quarterback who's attempted 132 passes dating back to his final year at North Dakota State in 2020. Some QBs reach 132 attempts in a five-game span.

Calling Lance a bust is a reach, but he needs reps to make it as a starter and there's no feasible pathway to that with the Cowboys unless Dak suffered an injury. Even then, Cooper Rush would get the nod given he went 4-1 last year starting in place of Prescott and his familiarity with the offense and personnel.

And yet, Nate Davis of USA Today listed Dallas as one of seven teams that "make sense" as a Lance landing spot, noting that Mike McCarthy had Aaron Rodgers waiting in the wings behind Brett Favre for two years before Rodgers took over.

That is NOT an apples-to-apples comparison.

Davis also argued that Lance could "sharpen his skills – probably for a while – in what passes for anonymity in Dallas."

Does anything pass as anonymity in Dallas? Trevon Diggs and Prescott couldn't even talk trash to each other at training camp without the media blowing it out of proportion and posing whether Diggs and the locker room respect Prescott.

You know what happens if the Cowboys give up a Day 2 or 3 pick to groom Lance behind Prescott? Chaos. Absolute chaos.

While Dak likely wouldn't be fazed by the trade, it would bring unwanted publicity to a franchise (and quarterback) whose every move are critiqued. To say nothing of Jerry Jones spewing balderdash every time he's behind a microphone.

If the front office wants to start grooming a young QB, it should simply use one of the picks they'd trade for Lance on a prospect in 2024 or 2025.

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