The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers have long been bitter rivals, and with the success both franchises have had that’s to be expected. With a combined 10 Super Bowl wins and 15 Super Bowl appearances between the two storied franchises, it’s safe to say they’ve both been blessed to have plenty of talent. Despite all the winning both franchises have experienced, it’s not often they do deals with each other.
That changed on Friday when the Niners surprisingly traded 2021 No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance to the Cowboys for a fourth-round pick. The move gives the Cowboys a chance to do something Niners brass couldn’t, and that’s develop Lance into a solid NFL quarterback. In fact, Jones believes it’s a perfect chance for Lance to develop under starter Dak Prescott.
Jones Excited For Team’s Opportunity With Lance
Lance hasn’t played much since being drafted. With just four NFL starts under his belt in two seasons, Jones feels being under Prescott will do wonders for Lance. It’s the main reason Jones reportedly pushed for the deal to happen; it’s about the future with Lance, not the present.
“Well, he gives us an opportunity to — at a level that we probably had gone in the draft — to work and develop a young quarterback,” the Cowboys owner said via the team’s official website. “And you need to be doing that.”
“We hit this and figuratively didn’t even get them off the phone because we wanted him in here,” he said. “Not in any way to be confused that we’re not betting on our success on Dak. We just need to, the Dallas Cowboys, where we can, be developing the best that we can develop for the future for quarterbacks.”
Jones says they didn’t consult with Prescott before making the deal, and he doesn’t expect Lance to contribute at all in 2023.
Cowboys are set with Prescott as the starter and fan favorite backup Cooper Rush as the backup. Rush is 5-1 as a starter, and he filled in admirably for Prescott when Dak was injured the past two seasons. That means Lance will be given ample time to develop and learn the position at his pace, no longer carrying the pressure of being the No. 3 overall pick.
Cowboys Got Third And 12th Pick In 2021 Draft For Fourth-Round Pick
Lance’s addition puts him with fellow 2021 draft mate Micah Parsons. On talent alone, Parsons, who’s been the DPOY runner-up in both of his NFL seasons, was considered a top-10 pick. But, he slipped out of the top 10 because of character concerns.
Now the two are together in Dallas, and wouldn’t it be something if at some point both are leading units in Big D.
