Trey Lance watched on Sunday night as the team that drafted him handed his new squad's quarterback Dak Prescott a prime-time beatdown at Levi's Stadium. But after being traded from his third-string spot on the 49ers to a new opportunity with the Cowboys, Lance's place on the Dallas depth chart appears similarly set in stone for the foreseeable future.
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones made that clear in a radio interview with 103.5 The Fan on Monday less than 24 hours removed from San Francisco's 42-10 rout of Dallas on "Sunday Night Football," implying there's no rush to get Lance more involved in the offense than he already is.
"No, those things will evolve in time," Jones said when asked if Lance would take first-team practice reps to better learn the Cowboys' offense. "I know [Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy] and [offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer], we all have a plan for him. Right now, the most important thing for the Dallas Cowboys is to win football games. Certainly we're focused on that.
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"We certainly understood when we brought Trey in here what the situation would be like, having our starting quarterback established in Dak Prescott, to have a good, solid backup in Cooper [Rush], and knew he would get most of his reps, if not all of them, in the scout team. But the bigger thing is learning week-in and week-out in the meeting rooms, and getting your hands and embracing our offense."
It was clear when the 49ers sent Lance to the Cowboys that the third-year signal-caller would be third on the depth chart in Dallas, too. But Prescott has been a polarizing figure in the Lone Star State for quite some time, with injuries and playoff failures offering much more hope for Lance to eventually earn an opportunity than in the Bay with Brock Purdy playing lights-out.
Prescott's performance in Sunday's game did little to quell his detractors -- he was picked off three times, posting a 51.6 passer rating and 58.3 completion percentage in the loss. Rush entered the game in the fourth quarter and completed both of his pass attempts for eight yards.
Lance's path back to a starting role remains unclear, but for now, all the former No. 3 overall draft pick can do is watch, learn and wait for his turn while running the scout team.
San Francisco 49ers
"I think he's doing a great job for us," Jones said. "I think he certainly is embracing his new opportunity here. Obviously when you get a guy who doesn't get to go through any of the offseason or training camp, and you have an established quarterback in Dak Prescott and a solid backup in Cooper Rush, you're not going to get a ton of opportunities other than on the practice field working with the scout team, and then working your butt off in the meeting room and learning the offense.
"And that's exactly what he's done, so we feel good about Trey and what he's doing with us. I know he'll continue to grow.