FRISCO — Everybody’s got a part to play on a 53-man NFL roster.
For Cowboys’ backup quarterback Trey Lance, he’s been cast in a supporting role as a two-time NFL MVP.
Lance has spent the week leading up to Sunday’s Cowboys-Ravens matchup playing the role of Lamar Jackson for Dallas’ scout team, preparing the Cowboys defense for what they could see vs. Jackson.
Lance, who ran a 4.69 40-time at his NFL Combine, is the closest thing to the elite mobile threat Jackson that the Cowboys have at QB.
“Just trying to give [the defense] the best look that I can,” Lance said Thursday. “Obviously [Jackson is] a super-talented guy that can move around really well.”
Jackson is the reigning NFL MVP after his phenomenal 2023 season, passing for 3,678 yards and 24 touchdowns and adding another 821 yards (and five touchdowns) on the ground. Jackson, also the MVP in 2019, runs a 4.34 40-time and has the innate ability to extend the play and wreak havoc on NFL defenses.
The typical 2.3 seconds that an NFL QB has in the pocket when he drops back to pass?
“It’s about a 6.8 [vs. Jackson],” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said.
Lance, however, is also known for his speed, so the fourth-year QB out of North Dakota State is the Dallas defense’s “Lamar Jackson stand-in” as they prepare for the 0-2 Ravens. He’s the obvious choice for the part among Cowboys’ QBs, as Dak Prescott’s hands are full with the offense and second-stringer Cooper Rush isn’t exactly a speed demon.
“Cooper Rush tries,” McCarthy joked on Thursday. “Trey does a good job of it, but yeah we try to emulate [the Ravens’ offense] the best we can, actually I thought Trey did a really nice job [Wednesday], and [Thursday] that’ll be something we encourage in those looks for our defense.”
So, starring in the role of Jackson this week in Cowboys practices, how is Lance doing?”
“My best,” Lance said simply. “Just trying to give the guys a good look.”
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