Cowboys QB Trey Lance’s game status Week 16 vs Bucs

The Dallas Cowboys 2024 season has been a total mess right from the start. It could be effectively put out of its misery on Sunday, and possibly before Dallas even takes the field. Part of Sunday Night Football, the Cowboys could be officially eliminated from the playoffs if Washington can beat Philadelphia earlier in the day. If so, the direction of who will see the field in the final three weeks should change.

And that could affect whether Trey Lance sees the field Sunday night.

The offseason was a crazy experience for the fan base as the club not only failed to sign any outside free agents, but also failed to bring back many of their own. With contract extensions looming over their biggest stars in Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons, the coaching staff was all on lame duck status.

All in all, it forced more fans to lose interest in the brand. One thing that united fans, however, especially during the looming 2025 of Prescott (at the time) was whether or not Lance had what it took to be the next franchise quarterback. Lance, who was acquired toward the end of the 2023 offseason, didn’t play that year, so no one really knew what to expect from the former No. 3 overall picks that the Cowboys traded a 2024 fourth-round pick for.

With head coach Mike McCarthy avoiding playing his stars in the preseason, Lance got plenty of snaps in exhibitions and acquitted himself relatively well until that last performance when he bombed. He really hasn’t been seen since, which in a lost season where Prescott has been out with injury, has frustrated fans even more.

Nothing crystallized that animosity more than in Week 11 when, in a blowout loss to the Houston Texans in which Cooper Rush struggled mightily, McCarthy refused to let Lance get snaps.

Now, with elimination just around the corner, the topic returns. In the last month or so, owner Jerry Jones has hinted that McCarthy might not be five-and-done as a head coach. Don’t believe it.

McCarthy and his staff are likely goners and as such have no vested interest in playing guys so the front office and the next coaching staff have a better understanding of what they might have.

Lance is a free agent, as is current starter Cooper Rush in 2025. Rush’s ceiling is obvious; the offense is ridiculously dumbed down due to the limitations of his arm talent and lack of athleticism. Lance offers upside in that regard, without being anywhere near the polish or experience Rush brings to the table.

If the season is officially over before they hit the field, fans hope Lance gets a chance to show what he can do.