Three years after the 49ers spent three first-round draft picks to acquire him, Trey Lance remains a work in progress.
Lance, who started just four games for the 49ers and then didn’t play at all last year after he was traded to the Cowboys, got plenty of action in Sunday’s preseason game against the Rams. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said Lance, who was only a starter for one year in college, needs the work, so after Cooper Rush started and led the Cowboys’ offense for one drive, Lance played the rest of the way.
“Trying to get as much as I can with him,” McCarthy said, via ESPN. “You want to see him running the offense at a high level. The footwork and some of the things we’re asking him to do conceptually are new. We just need work. We just need as much time as we can. I know I say that every time I talk about him, but he’s making good progress. He’s definitely wired the right way. He’s a great athlete. Just a lot of work to do.”
Lance completed 25 of 41 passes for 188 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions and three sacks. Those aren’t world-beating numbers, but McCarthy said Lance did what was asked of him.
“I really liked his command,” McCarthy said. “Frankly, I tried to . . . take advantage of every situation that we were in, so those fourth-down snaps, those will pay dividends in the future. I do believe that.”
Rush remains ahead of Lance on the Cowboys’ depth chart, which means there’s a good chance Lance will sit on the bench the entire season, just as he did last season. Which means if he’s ever going to develop, the preseason is his time.