The Dallas Cowboys could not exorcise their Green Bay Packers demons on Sunday night. Even the eternal optimist would admit that's a bad omen for Dallas' upcoming matchup against the San Francisco 49ers in a couple of weeks.
In many ways, the 49ers have recently been a bigger thorn in the Cowboys' side than Green Bay. That's not to understate the Packers' ownership of Jerry Jones' team, but San Francisco eliminated Dallas in the playoffs in 2022 and 2023.
And if that wasn't enough, the ill-fated Trey Lance trade continues to age poorly for Dallas. We'll touch on Lance's anonymous Cowboys tenure in a moment. What makes this trade a continued bad look for Jerry Jones is the player the 49ers landed with Dallas' fourth-round pick: Malik Mustapha.
Mustapha helped San Francisco stave off the Commanders' furious second-half comeback on Monday night, reminding the rest of the NFL that he's one of the better players on the 49ers' top-10 defense.
Check out this run fit by Mustapha on the biggest play of the game:
What a HIT to stop the run 😳
— NFL (@NFL) October 20, 2026
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That entire sequence is a clinic in safety play: the recognition, closing speed, physicality, and tackling technique. Jeremy McNichols collided with a freight train.
The Cowboys helped the 49ers land their next defensive stud
Somehow, Mustapha outdid himself on the very next snap, breaking up Jayden Daniels' 4th-and-3 pass to force a turnover on downs. Treylon Burks appeared to secure the catch initially, but Mustapha stayed with him through the process and jarred the ball loose as they hit the ground.
The 49ers unraveled in the second half after jumping out to a 20-3 lead. Football has a way of snowballing, and Kyle Shanahan's side could not stop the bleeding. They were headed for their first loss. The offense was helpless after Mike Evans left injured, and defensive penalties allowed Daniels and the Washington offense to find a groove, even without Terry McLaurin.
Those situations call for individual greatness to win a game. Mustapha rose to the occasion and saved San Francisco from an embarrassing collapse.
The 24-year-old may not be a household name, but he and Fred Warner (and Nick Bosa, when healthy) are the tone-setters of the Niners defense. He quietly goes about his business.
According to Pro Football Focus, 75 safeties have logged at least 100 snaps this season. Here's where Mustapha ranks in some prominent categories:
- 82.2 defensive grade: 8thÂ
- 86.0 run-defense grade: 11thÂ
- 71.8 coverage grade: 15thÂ
- 3 pass breakups: Tied for 4th
- 39.6 passer rating allowed: 6th
PFF's grading has wonky tendencies, but their evaluation of Mustapha matches what he's put on film. He's only been targeted six times on 119 coverage snaps and hasn't allowed a catch.
It is literally impossible to know if Dallas would have drafted Mustapha in 2024. It is notable, though, that they drafted cornerback Caelen Carson in the fifth round that year. Would Mustapha have been an option? A defensive back was clearly top of mind. Makes you think.
Trey Lance's Cowboys tenure was a waste of time for everyone
For whatever reason, though, Jerry Jones had to get Trey Lance to Dallas despite having a top-10 quarterback in the prime of his career. While Dak Prescott's contract was headed for expiration after the 2024 season, anyone with a pulse could have called Jerry's bluff.
Prescott certainly did, and he was rewarded the following September by way of a four-year, $240 million contract to make him the richest quarterback in the NFL
Lance only lasted two seasons in Dallas before his rookie deal expired. He appeared in four games, completing 25 of 41 passes for 266 yards and one touchdown to one interception. The bulk of that came in his lone start, a loss to Washington in the 2024 season finale.
The former No. 3 pick essentially redshirted with the Cowboys in 2023, then failed to beat out Cooper Rush the following summer despite taking every rep in the preseason.
In a vacuum, Jerry Jones traded a fourth-round pick for one season of an emergency third-string quarterback. Lance only got a start because Dallas had already been eliminated from playoff contention by Week 16 of the 2024 season.
Many Cowboys fans, including myself, have moved on from the Lance experiment. But at the rate Mustapha is ascending in the 49ers' secondary, he's going to be a constant reminder of a trade that was doomed the second Jerry hung up the phone with John Lynch.
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