Trey Lance got the start at quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in their Week 18 season finale versus the Washington Commanders, NFL Network's Jane Slater reported before kickoff.

Lance, 24, made his first start for the Cowboys since the team acquired him from the San Francisco 49ers before last season. He's appeared in three games, completing 5-of-7 passes for 22 yards.

In a 23–19 loss to Washington, Lance threw for 244 yards on 20-for-34 passing. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer frequently called plays that moved Lance out of the pocket and away from the Commanders' pass rush, giving him easier completions.

Cooper Rush had started the previous eight games for Dallas, taking over after Dak Prescott suffered a hamstring injury in Week 9 that required season-ending surgery. In his eight games (and 12 games overall), Rush passed for 1,844 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions, completing 60.7% of his passes.

Starting Lance prevented Rush from earning a $250,000 incentive that would come with playing 55% of the Cowboys' snaps this season. He played 52.3% of the team's snaps and needed 65 plays to reach that incentive, according to Pro Football Talk. Rush had already earned a $250,000 bonus by playing 45% of Dallas' snaps.

Lance was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the 49ers out of North Dakota State, where he passed for 2,947 yards and 30 touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,325 yards and 18 scores in three seasons. Yet he played in only 17 games, making him a very raw product going into the NFL in addition to playing at the FCS level of college football.

He eventually won the 49ers' starting job over Jimmy Garoppolo during the 2022 season, but played only two games before sustaining a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2.

That provided an opportunity for Brock Purdy to beat Lance out as the starter in training camp for 2023. Lance entered the season as the 49ers' third-string QB and was traded to the Cowboys for a fourth-round pick.