Report: 49ers sending former No. 3 pick Lance to Cowboys
Published
Multiple reports indicate that the San Francisco 49ers are sending former third-overall draft pick Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick.
Lance, 23, has made just four starts since being selected third overall by the 49ers in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The 49ers traded three first-round draft picks and a third-rounder to the Miami Dolphins on March 26, 2021 to acquire the third overall selection in that year's draft, which they subsequently used to select Lance.
Lance appeared in limited action in 2021 as a rookie, as he sat behind starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo. In 2022, he was given a chance to start out of the gate, but played in just two games before a fractured ankle ended his season. He completed 15-of-31 passes for 194 yards and an interception in 2022.
The 49ers eventually turned to seventh-round draft selection Brock Purdy to lead in 2022 after Garoppolo was injured midway through the season, and Purdy went 5-0 as a starter to finish the season. He won two playoff games before he was injured in the 49ers' NFC Championship Game loss against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Purdy was named the starter out of training camp this season, and newly-acquired Sam Darnold was named Purdy's backup, leaving Lance seemingly without a role in the 49ers plans for this season.
The Marshall, Minn. native has a chance at a fresh start behind Dak Prescott with the Cowboys in 2023 and beyond. In eight career NFL games, Lance has completed 54.9 per cent of his passes for 797 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions.