Don’t forget about Trey Lance. His Dallas redemption story has been largely lost in the sea of kudos for Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, but Lance is starting to show the potential he flashed as a #1 pick a few years ago.
Meanwhile, the Raiders will try to pick up the pieces after a problematic Gardiner Minshew performance that left coach Antonio Pierce needing to “sleep on it” as he tries to select his Week 1 starter. Minshew Mania morphed into Minshew Mediocrity against the Cowboys, leaving the Raiders with the grim possibility of having Aidan O’Connell as their possible #1 guy.
Trey Lance posts more positives for the Cowboys
Given Lance’s problematic history in San Francisco, there were a lot of unspoken doubts about whether he could follow up his solid preseason performance with another quality effort. Historically, he’s been a roller coaster, so it seemed logical to expect something along those lines.
But the Cowboys’s #3 QB quietly put those doubts to rest. His stats weren’t gaudy, but he was accurate, going 15 for 23 and throwing a touchdown. He also ran for a touchdown as he flashed his legs here and there, and most importantly Lance was able to play a clean game with no interceptions or fumbles.
All of which puts Dallas in an interesting position. Cooper Rush is an established backup who’s shown he can win games when forced into the lineup, and Dak Prescott’s ongoing contract war with Jerry and Stephen Jones has to be making Cowboys fans a little nervous. There’s probably no way Dallas can keep Lance, who is playing for his next job, and he’s setting himself up for a solid opportunity as he continues to roll through the preseason.
Minshew struggles with inconsistency issues…again
We’ve seen this movie before with Gardiner Minshew. He’s colorful, athletic, and gutsy, and when he makes good decisions, he looks like a solid starter, especially for a team that’s starting over with a defensive-minded coach in Antonio Pierce.
Then there’s the other side of the coin. Minshew often seems incapable of sustaining those good decisions, and that tendency surfaced big time against Dallas. He threw an impressive long ball to the equally impressive Tre Tucker, then followed that with a bad red zone miss that forced a field goal. He then proceeded to heave what was basically a prayer to tight end Michael Mayer, who had to play DB to keep it from getting picked.
The numbers reflected that same level of inconsistency. Minshew had just 10 completions in 21 tries as he finished with 96 yards, and those numbers just won’t get it done if he wants to be an NFL starter. Antonio Pierce is probably going to have some sleepless nights before the Raiders opener in LA against the Chargers, where they’ll need to counter Justin Herbert’s first start for new coach Jim Harbaugh.
Minshew gets one more shot to get this right. Vegas hosts the 49ers in their final preseason game, and Pierce will likely be forced to give both of his questionable QBs extensive playing time as he tries to sort out this mess.
Lance, meanwhile, gets what will likely be his last chance as a starter in Dallas against those same Chargers, although Prescott will probably make at least a short cameo as well. All of those coaches and personnel guys coming off roster cuts will be taking a very close at Trey Lance, who’s looking more and more like he could be the answer to someone’s quarterback problem down the line.