When both are considered, it appears like the Cowboys won the jackpot by exchanging a fourth-round pick for Trey Lance, the previous third-round pick in the NFL Draft in 2021. At least in terms of personality. Very nice young man. Solid.
On Tuesday, I answered all of the questions correctly. Smiled. I looked folks in the eyes. Cordial. After the Cowboys’ minicamp-like practice Wednesday morning, he actually interacted with a handful of us in the locker room. There was no evidence of resentment or bitterness about the Niners pulling the plug on him after being demoted to third string so swiftly and then washing their hands of a player they paid dearly for with three first-round draft picks and a third to boot after only two injury-plagued seasons.
There was no whining, either.
Even though he’ll be the third quarterback in line after Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush, he appears to be relishing the opportunity to start over with his new team.
“It was a little surreal for me to hear I was going to come here knowing everything there was to know about this historic organization,” Lance remarked. “Obviously, you think of the 49ers as another top-tier, historic organization, but for me, I’m just very excited to be here.”
“Coach McCarthy and the rest of the coaching staff, man, nothing but knowledge in these meetings.” It’s been fantastic for me. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a breath of fresh air learning a new offense and hanging out with the guys the previous two days. I feel like I’ve learnt so much from just playing ball.”
But perhaps what people who knew Lance in San Francisco had to say as he was leaving is a far greater indicator of his character.
Take, for example, Niners’ George Kittle, who is never one to mince things.
“You’ve seen examples elsewhere of guys who don’t handle adversity well and blame everyone else.” “They point fingers and things like that,” Kittle explained. “We haven’t had that problem in this organization as a whole.”
“That demonstrates the depth of character on this team.” Trey was in a room where Jimmy G (Garoppolo) was scrutinized every day, all the time. Jimmy handled it admirably. So (Trey) had to learn a little bit from him before he could do it on his own.”
Lance handled the transfer “like an adult,” according to Kittle, despite the fact that he is only 23 years old.
Then there was Sam Darnold, Lance’s new teammate who was named the backup to starter Brock Purdy instead of him, adding, “He’s a great dude.” In the locker room, he was well-liked. He embodied all of them. Even with my being here, competing, and doing all of those things, he was a terrific teammate. He has been nothing but wonderful to me since OTAs. That means a lot to me.”
And then there was this from Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan, who knew the Cowboys weren’t the only team interested in dealing for Lance, with Baltimore, Buffalo, and Detroit also showing interest:
“I’m always afraid of disappointing Trey. “I wanted him to come here because I believed in Trey before we took him, and I’m responsible for that.”