Trey Lance set to start for Dallas Cowboys vs. Commanders, per report

The Dallas Cowboys will start quarterback Trey Lance under center on Sunday, according to NFL Network’s Jane Slater.

Lance will be making his first start since Week 2 of the 2022 season when he was with the San Francisco 49ers. He fractured his ankle in that game and eventually landed with the Cowboys in 2023.

A former first-round pick, he was the No. 3 overall selection by the San Francisco 49ers in 2021, did not throw a pass in an NFL game last year. In two seasons for San Francisco, he went 56-of-102 passing (54.9%) for 797 yards and five touchdowns, but with three interceptions.

Cowboys lost franchise quarterback Dak Prescott for the year mid-season, which led the way for Dallas to turn the starting job to Cooper Rush. While the Cowboys have won four of their last six, they’re still eliminated from the playoffs and felt as though Lance earned his shot.

Rush was closing in on a lucrative incentive in his contract, but it appears as though he won’t break that threshold with the news of Lance’s start. Due to Prescott’s injury, he’s played 52.3% of snaps for the Cowboys’ offense this season. If he pushes that to 55%, he’ll earn a contract bonus of $250,000.

Sunday’s news ahead of kickoff that Lance will start for the Cowboys comes one day following the decision to move QB Will Grier from the practice squad to the main roster. It could have been considered a sign of what Dallas was planning, but in the end, Lance gets his first nod in over two years, and first with the Cowboys.

Lance will serve as the starter with Cooper Rush sitting second in the depth chart. Grier will be the third-string, per the team’s pregame report.

His first start for Dallas could be his last, as Lance is set to become a free agent at the end of this season. One of the biggest criticisms of Lance’s resume is his lack of experience, even at the collegiate level having started just one full season for North Dakota State at the FCS level. Sunday’s game against the Commanders could serve as an audition of sorts for him if he chooses to go elsewhere in the offseason.

Kickoff between the Cowboys and Commanders is set for 1 p.m. ET live on FOX.