LANCE TO COWBOYS AS NINERS SAY UNCLE
The San Francisco 49ers have traded quarterback Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys less than three years after trading three first-round picks to draft him.
A person familiar with the situation said the Cowboys will send a fourth-round pick to San Francisco for a player drafted third overall in 2021. ESPN first reported the trade.
Lance had lost the competition to Sam Darnold to be the backup to Brock Purdy in San Francisco earlier in the week, setting the stage for his departure.
The move is a remarkable backtrack following the hefty investment the Niners made in hopes of Lance becoming a franchise quarterback.
San Francisco traded three first-round picks and a third-rounder to Miami in 2021 to move up from No. 12 and draft the untested Lance third overall.
Lance started only 17 games at FCS-level North Dakota State before the Niners drafted him, and he never got much of a chance to gain the experience he needed in the NFL.
He spent his rookie season backing up Jimmy Garoppolo, starting just two games as an injury replacement and being hampered by a finger injury on his throwing hand.
Lance was handed the starting job last season, but that lasted less than five quarters as he broke his ankle early in Week 2 and was sidelined for the rest of the season.
Purdy, taken with the last draft pick in 2022, came on late in the season and won his first seven starts to take over the starting role headed into this season.
The Cowboys now get a look at Lance, who is owed $940,000 this year and is guaranteed $5.3 million next season in the final year of his rookie deal.
Cooper Rush has been the backup most of Dak Prescott’s career in Dallas, including last season when he went 4-1 filling in after Prescott broke his thumb in the opener.
Friday’s exhibitions Chargers 23, 49ers 12:
Brock Purdy ran for a 5-yard touchdown during a brief stint for host San Francisco before Chargers backups won out. The Chargers’ Joshua Kelley made a good case for Austin Ekeler’s backup with a 75-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
Lions 26, Panthers 17: Bryce Young completed 7 of 12 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown, but host Carolina lost to Detroit.
Titans 23, Patriots 7: Malik Willis passed for 211 yards and two TDs to lead host Tennessee over New England.
Notable
The Denver Broncos unveiled their mammoth new scoreboard Friday, a day before the Broncos play their preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams. The scoreboard is 225 feet wide and 72 feet high, making it the tallest in North America.