Dak Prescott injury: Trey Lance won’t start, 49ers lucky

Trey Lance’s biggest criticism since being selected in the 2021 NFL Draft was that he didn’t play enough football. It’s 2024 and he still can’t get on the field.

Yes, this is a San Francisco 49ers website, but considering how grueling the entire 2021 draft has been, you know we have to keep an eye on one of the biggest storylines in the entire league this year: No. 3 overall pick ( for whom the 49ers traded future premiers), Trey Lance. It’s also relevant to see if the 49ers cut their losses at the right time.

During the rough starts he had with the 49ers, you heard that he “needed to play more football,” and you still hear that now that he’s with the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys traded a fourth-round pick to continue Lance’s development. He had to see the field at some point if he had something, anything.

And he’s still not getting anywhere. Probably when he should.

The Cowboys’ starting quarterback, Dak Prescott, was a candidate for injured reserve. It appeared the Cowboys wouldn’t pursue that option, except Saturday it was reported that Prescott may need surgery. Regardless of how this turns out, it’s obvious he won’t play on Sunday. And it’s Cooper Rush who will step in, not Trey Lance.

This is expected. Cooper Rush was named the second quarterback at the start of the season. The Cowboys are 3-5 and in third place in the NFC East and coming off a brutal divisional game on Sunday. Still, the Cowboys didn’t look like a playoff team, let alone a team capable of competing for a Super Bowl. Why not start Lance? Why not give him the development everyone says he needs?

And the obvious answer: They still believe they can save it. And Trey Lance still isn’t ready after more than three years. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said the following:

“He takes over all the look team reps. He’s great in a room. I’m high on Trey Lance. He played a different system in college. I’ve moved to a little bit of a different system, mostly just the footwork that we teach is different,” McCarthy said, via Garrett Podell of CBS Sports.

So no, Lance. He still doesn’t get playing time, the only thing he needs. Without Prescott, it would probably be a great opportunity to use Trey Lance this season and see what he has. The Cowboys disagree.

When we last left Trey Lance, he was traded to the Cowboys for a fourth-round pick. As you all know, this was due to the rise of Brock Purdy. It wasn’t about Trey Lance’s character or the locker room not accepting him. The 49ers simply had a better option at quarterback and no longer needed the development project (or time investment) that Lance would require.

Check out this video from the Cowboys game. Everyone came over to hug him.

Could the Cowboys have saved him? Who knows. But when they traded a fourth-round pick to get him off the hands of the 49ers, many thought it was a fresh start, with some even saying the 49ers didn’t give Lance much of a chance (despite the situations). In many ways, the 49ers dodged a bullet. Not only did they have Brock Purdy as their starting quarterback, they may not have experienced the same drama as the Indianapolis Colts, who traded young quarterback Anthony Richardson for Joe Flacco.

If Trey Lance sticks around, if his recent history is any indication, the 49ers could very well go through the same thing – that is, if Brock Purdy didn’t show up. They probably wouldn’t have gotten anything from a trade.

Trey Lance was an understandable risk, but many thought that with development he would be a great quarterback for the 49ers. The less he plays now, even in times like these, the more it shows how lucky the 49ers were that Brock Purdy fell into their lap. Everyone wants him to make a series of starts and play football, but on two teams he’s not in a position to move up from QB3 when rosters are set early in the season.

This shouldn’t be a third overall win from three years ago.