Cowboys plan to give Trey Lance "a ton" of reps in OTAs, training camp
The Cowboys traded for Trey Lance last year and had him on their roster as their third quarterback.
But as Dallas goes into 2024, the team still doesn’t quite know what it has with the No. 3 overall pick of the 2021 draft.
As expected, the Cowboys declined Lance’s fifth-year option, setting up the signal-caller to become an unrestricted free agent next March. As offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer put it, the Cowboys now have to use the spring and summer to give Lance plenty of time behind center.
“We know Dak [Prescott]. We know ‘Coop’ [Rush]. [Lance] is the question mark,” Schottenheimer said, via Clarence Hill of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram. “There’s so much he doesn’t know that he’s got to figure out. And so that’s what’s exciting about that if he can be he can be a really good player because he’s wired the right way and the way he works. We just got to give them the opportunity to show us that with the year under his belt and being comfortable.
“It’s gonna be all about getting him a ton of reps throughout OTAs, mini camp, and then training camp. You’re gonna see him getting a ton right leading into the preseason.”
Schottenheimer called Lance an "unbelievable athlete” but noted that it's difficult to learn how to play quarterback without getting snaps. Since Lance left high school, he started just 17 games at North Dakota State before starting four games in two seasons with San Francisco.
“Our big objective from the time he got back is obviously making sure he’s good with this system, which has been great,” Schottenheimer said. “Number two, is getting his fundamentals where we want them. OK. A guy that was at North Dakota State and San Francisco. The way they teach quarterbacks very different than how we teach a West Coast quarterback. It’s been a totally different light put on him now because we’re excited about the skills where we see the talent.
“The best thing he does to this day is still improvise and move. So now let’s see what concepts he likes to see what he’s comfortable doing from a protection standpoint of solving problems and things like that. And over the time, we’re gonna get that figured out so we could put together a really good package for him when he’s got it to go play.”
From the sounds of it, Lance will get plenty of opportunities to play during the preseason in August to show what he can do.
