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FRISCO, Texas – When it’s Raynes, it pours. Already struggling to score touchdowns in 2024, and owners of a 3-5 record, the Dallas Cowboys find themselves facing the reality that All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott will likely miss significant time down the road with a nagging injury. in the muscle – pushing Cooper Rush and Trey Lance center stage.
And probably for much longer than four weeks.
It’s a team averaging just 21.4 points per game (20th in the NFL), and some of that belongs to All-Pro kicker Brandon Aubrey, not the offense itself. Adding insult to injury is the fact that CeeDee Lamb is now trying to manage what’s being described as a sprained AC joint in his forward shoulder, meaning one of the best in the league at his position is more less than 100 percent.
With the Philadelphia Eagles pounding the Cowboys with the goal of breaking their will for good, it’s time for Dallas to drop the covers.
But what exactly does this mean?
In my opinion, that means it’s time to release Lance in this offense.
Hear me out on that, if you want.
Rush has proven more than capable of keeping the Cowboys in games, as evidenced by his 5-1 record in the two previous games Prescott was sidelined with injury. Hell, his 2022 stretch was so impressive in proving people wrong and helping keep the season on track that it made me dedicate an entire Science Lab column to him as a “thank you ” for his service.
You can read it touching this blue line.
So when it comes to my confidence in Rush, just know that it’s stratospherically high. And yet, that being said, I’m having a hard time — almost impossible, in fact — figuring out his ability alone is enough to pull the Cowboys off their tail late this season, because things are significantly different in 2024 than they were in 2022.
Two seasons ago, Rush didn’t have to take risks with his arm because he had an offensive line in front of him that didn’t consistently allow much pressure and a defensive counterpart that led the league in first downs and pass rush interceptions.
Neither of those things is true through eight games this season.
Even when Prescott and Lamb were fully healthy, present and accounted for, it’s an offense that has ranked at or near the bottom of the league barrel in several key categories and has consistently struggled to produce red-zone touchdowns. The offense also ranks 32nd in the league in rushing yards (656) and 31st in rushing yards per attempt (3.8).
Do you know who can help with this?
Say it with me: Trey Lance.
To that point, Lance has more rushing yards in his three preseason outings than any other running back on the roster through eight regular-season games, with the exception of Rico Dowdle, who has been the lone beacon in a storm of dark of unproductivity. Operating behind a struggling offensive line can spell disaster for the Rush, as it often did for Prescott, who was sacked a total of 21 times through Week 9.
By contrast, Prescott was only sacked 20 times throughout the 2022 seasonand Rush was sacked just seven times in his five games that year — an average of 1.4 times per contest.
As it stands, the Cowboys offensive line is allowing nearly three sacks per game.
Using Lance in certain packages will ensure the Eagles’ defensive front, one of the most mundane in the NFL and that excels at getting pressure from every spot on their defensive line, avoids pinning their ears back for grabs on every snap. another game for killshot. Lance’s visions on read options to be respected because of his speed jump in my head and along with some designed runs, could send a surge of electricity to the Cowboys offense.
This would be especially true in the red zone, where disasters abound.
Give me the canvas and the brushes for a moment and let me paint a picture for you.
Imagine a red-zone play that sees Lance run an option play on a visit, causing the linebacker (Nolan Smith, Nakobe Dean) to honor him with indecisiveness and, in that split second, a drop of first or a shot.
Now imagine a subsequent visit with an option play, but, this time, Lance puts it in and runs himself; or he sets it up and, once the linebackers and linebackers scramble to stop him, Lance throws it to an open Jake Ferguson (or any of his potential options in that scenario).
Do you smell what the Rock is cooking?
Granted, what you’re gaining with those packages, you’re losing in field accuracy and the veteran “I’ve seen it all before” IQ that Rush possesses, but that’s football. And going with Rush alone, with zero packages for Lance, also carries an extremely high level of risk — ie, less mobility in a pocket that has been a danger zone when Prescott was standing in it.
It’s risk versus reward, every time.
Mitigating the risk by combining the talents of Rush and Lance feels like the perfect remedy here to try to climb to a 4-5 record and maybe, just maybe, give themselves a fighting chance to back their way into playoffs where, maybe, just maybe, Prescott will be available and (even then) I’d say keep the Lance variable alive and well.
And do I need to remind you that the Cowboys are eating a $5.3M cap hit for Lance ($311,764 per game in 2024) and still have no idea if he’s a viable QB2 candidate in Dallas for the 2025 season? Lest you forget, they also gave up a fourth-round pick for him, one that could have turned into an impact rookie running back if he was still in their pocket this past April.
Playing him now, when the opportunity has finally presented itself, feels like a waste for as many reasons as you and I can imagine.
Finally, McCarthy continues to say it’s the reps he needs to take the next step in his development.
Well, give him some, and before it’s too late – by all means.