The Dallas Cowboys are set to take on the Washington Commanders in Week 18 as Trey Lance is expected to receive his first real snaps of the season, preventing Cooper Rush from reaching a snap count incentive outlined in his contract.
Lance has yet to start a game this season and has only attempted seven throws since being traded to the Cowboys for a fourth-round draft selection in 2023; however, the expectation is that he will start against Washington since the Cowboys have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com explained that the Cowboys could “play some guys that maybe we have not seen” and that “sources say QB Trey Lance is expected to play his first significant snaps of the season.”
“One notable one. I am told to expect Trey Lance, their third-string quarterback for most of this season, to get some real reps. To get some significant reps in this game. Cooper Rush may still start, but Trey Lance is expected to get some reps,” he said.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones discussed the potential for Lance to start in Week 18 during his weekly appearance on 105.3 The FAN, but he refused to provide many details about what the decision would be.
“You know, we’re obviously for, if you will, competitive reasons, we’re basically not saying until gameday,” he said, per NBC Sports.
Although those within the organization might claim that this decision was made to evaluate Lance in the final game, the more realistic reason is that the Cowboys do not want to pay Rush a snap count incentive outlined in his contract.
This incentive states that Rush will receive an additional $500,000 if he plays in 55% of the Cowboys’ snaps this season, with the backup quarterback currently sitting at 52.5% this year, according to Jonathan Jones of NFL on CBS.
Dallas has averaged roughly 68 offensive snaps per game this season and could likely reach this number against Washington if the game gets out of hand, which would be beneficial for Rush if the team opted to start him over Lance, per Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Participating in every snap in this game, assuming the team reaches exactly 68 snaps, would result in Ruhs playing in 55.1% of the Cowboys’ snaps this season and reaching the minimum number for his incentive.
Rather than reward him for the effort this season with the opportunity to reach his goal, the team is opting to give Lance significantly more play time and effectively deny Rush’s incentives.
Although Dallas could potentially frame this decision as a look into the future with Lance, the team has been eliminated for the past two weeks and decided to start Rush in those games.
The decision to start Lance is clearly based on the incentive outlined in Rush’s contract, as the team did not show any interest in starting Lance until Rush began closing in on the 55% snap count threshold.
Despite relying on Rush as the team’s backup quarterback for the past eight seasons and helping the Cowboys regain a respectable record this year, the organization is effectively denying him these incentives.
While this decision will not be the most impactful that the Cowboys have made this year, upcoming free agents will likely consider it when considering whether to sign a contract with Dallas in the future.
The Dallas Cowboys (7-9) will host the Washington Commanders (11-5) on Sunday, January 5, at noon at AT&T Stadium.