Trey Lance trade has unseen impact on Dak Prescott's Dallas Cowboys future

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Dak Prescott must get back to his best this season
Dak Prescott must get back to his best this season

The Dallas Cowboys already had two quality quarterbacks on their roster, but it did not deter them from making their move for Trey Lance.

After officially naming Sam Darnold as their back-up quarterback ahead of Lance, the San Francisco 49ers agreed to trade him to the Cowboys on Friday. The Niners received a future fourth-round draft pick in return, after spending three first-round picks to acquire him just two years ago.

Dak Prescott will undoubtedly remain the starter after the Cowboys gave him a four-year, £127million ($160m) contract just two years ago, with Lance likely to be in the back-up spot along with Cooper Rush.

A long-time back-up for Dallas, Rush has played 16 games filling in for Prescott since 2017 and performed well in spirts last season - with some wondering whether he could be a starter himself.

And while Lance may pose as a threat to both Rush and Prescott, it could also be seen as a move good for all parties involved.

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Prescott is likely going to ask for a new deal after this season with just one year left on his deal in 2024, and could look to be the league's highest-paid quarterback.

Should the Cowboys not want to give him that contract, they now have two legitimate options to turn to - potentially dealing Prescott away if it came to that, and if he continued to struggle as he had last season.

Trey Lance trade has unseen impact on Dak Prescott's Dallas Cowboys futureTrey Lance is headed to the Dallas Cowboys in a blockbuster trade. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Prescott had the worst year of his career in 2022, and could be traded away or even cut from Dallas should he struggle once again - a move that would save the team a whopping £27m ($34m).

For Lance, it is clear that he needs time to develop into an NFL quarterback. While obviously having the talent - which saw him drafted so highly two years ago - Lance is severely lacking in confidence while struggling at the basics, such as poorly-reading defensive schemes and taking too long to go through his progressions.

Lance will spend the season battling with Rush for the back-up spot, who can look to nail his place with the team for the foreseeable future by beating out Lance.

Should Rush prove to be a better option than Lance, the team will be hesitant to spend any more resources on a quarterback - knowing they have Rush ready to go at any point.

But the Cowboys will be focussing on Prescott at this point - needing their franchise quarterback to get back to his best. And if having a raw talent such as Lance in the room to drive Prescott to be better, then it's a move worth making on that basis alone.

Charlie Wilson

American football, Rush, Dallas Cowboys, NFL

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