The Dallas Cowboys recently made headlines by trading a mid-round draft pick for QB Trey Lance. The Lance project failed in San Francisco, and a fresh start for the young quarterback was for the best.
Lance and the Cowboys are an intriguing fit since they already have veteran QB Dak Prescott, and reportedly, Dallas and Prescott have had discussions on a contract extension.
While the Cowboys didn’t trade for Lance to challenge for Prescott’s starting role, any time a trade involving a high-profile QB will draw plenty of attention. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones provided insight into how Dallas views the quarterback position and provided us with one particularly juicy nugget.
Did the Dallas Cowboys Have Their Eyes Set on Jalen Hurts?
When discussing the trade for Lance, Jones provided a recent draft example of how they prioritize the QB position. They mentioned that had Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts slid further in the draft, the Cowboys would have selected the former Alabama and Oklahoma signal-caller.
This is interesting: While discussing the Trey Lance trade, #Cowboys owner Jerry Jones implied that they wanted to draft #Eagles' QB Jalen Hurts a few years ago had he fallen in the draft: pic.twitter.com/lyJDNA7NwJ
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 27, 2023
Some NFL analysts, in fact, compared Hurts to Prescott coming out of college, so it’s easy to see why the Cowboys may have coveted him as an ideal backup.
Many NFL Draft analysts, at the time of the Hurts’ selection, panned Philadelphia for reaching on a QB that could have gone later in the draft. If what Jones suggests is accurate, Hurts wasn’t sliding very far.
What If the Cowboys Selected Hurts?
Had Dallas selected Hurts in the draft instead of Philadelphia, the ripple effect across the NFL would have been immense. Would we even be discussing Hurts?
Jerry Jones Says He Wanted To Draft Jalen Hurts, And The Dallas Cowboys May Never Recover From Passing On Him https://t.co/GW8ucysRMn
— Barstool Philly (@BarstoolPhilly) August 28, 2023
If Hurts was on the Cowboys, would he remain stuck behind Prescott, or would he have played himself into additional playing time, even taking the starting job? The scenario may sound far-fetched, but when you think back to when Philadelphia drafted Hurts, not many thought he would displace Carson Wentz.
Would Hurts be the Cowboys’ starter today? What would have happened to Prescott under that scenario? Would he be playing for a different team?
MORE: What Would’ve Happened If the Eagles Traded Jalen Hurts to Seahawks for Russell Wilson in 2022?
What would have happened in Philadelphia? Wentz wore out his welcome and would have been shipped out of the city regardless. Would Philadelphia have made a stronger push for Russell Wilson?
We know Philadelphia talked with Seattle about Wilson before the Denver trade. Would Eagles’ GM Howie Roseman be more aggressive without Hurts in the fold? We’ll never know, but the possibilities are endless.