While there may have been a constructed narrative that the Dallas Cowboys were letting Cooper Rush and former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance battle it out in training camp and the preseason to be Dak Prescott’s backup, the simple truth is that’s never been the case. Rush is established, comfortable and steady as the backup in Dallas while Lance, though talented, remains unpolished and volatile.
As such, trading Lance has always been an enticing option for the Cowboys — even with Jerry Jones all but guaranteeing him a roster spot — though they also needed help from the former 49ers signal-caller to make that a viable option. Specifically, for there to be a lucrative market for Lance, he needed to have a stellar preseason.
There were ups and downs, including a truly nice Week 2 preseason outing, that made that seem like a possibility. But Saturday’s preseason finale raised some real questions about how viable that might be as all of the rollercoaster ride was basically on display. Lance flashed some truly elite playmaking ability but also tossed two brutal interceptions and fumbled twice (though the Cowboys recovered both)…