INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Nearly a calendar year after he last took the field, Trey Lance made his debut for the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams.

Lance, the former No. 3 overall pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2021, was traded to the Cowboys for a fourth-round pick last August but did not play in 2023.

When he replaced Cooper Rush after a drive, Lance completed 25 of 41 passes for 188 yards without throwing a touchdown pass or an interception. He was sacked three times. He also ran six times for 44 yards in the Cowboys’ last-second 13-12 loss, a team-high performance.

“I’m hoping I can just get back in and be ready,” Lance said. “I mean, yeah, it’s been a year, but that’s no excuse. I’ve had a lot of snaps during practice (organized team activities) and training camp, so … yeah, I’m just excited for next week.”

Six of the eight drives Lance led lasted at least eight plays, but he couldn’t get the Cowboys into the end zone. Instead, they had to settle for three of Brandon Aubrey’s four field goals.

“I’m trying to get as much out of him as possible,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “You want to see him run the offense at a high level. The footwork and some of the things we’re asking him to do conceptually are new. We just need to work on it. We just need as much time as we can. I know I say this every time I talk about him, but he’s making good progress. He’s definitely wired in the right way. He’s a great athlete. There’s just a lot of work left to do.”

Lance was not far from at least two touchdown throws and missed a golden opportunity for another in the fourth quarter when tight end Princeton Fant ran unmarked.

On his first drive, Lance had the Cowboys at the Rams’ 3, but his fade pass to the corner of the end zone was just out of Jalen Cropper’s reach. In the fourth quarter, he threw a deep ball to Cam Johnson, who was one step ahead of the defensive back.

He saw how open Fant was after the series in a sideline meeting with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.

“It was one of those things … I was a little too quick with my feet in front of it and the corner played a little bit in between,” Lance said. “Honestly, on the field, I thought I should have just gotten back quicker. … There are plays like that everywhere and it happens. That’s one of those things you learn from. Don’t make the same mistake twice.”

Lance had to drop the ball four times, but was also too high on several throws, so that his pass receivers had little chance after the catch.

Still, McCarthy quite liked what Lance was doing.

“I really liked his command,” McCarthy said. “Honestly, I tried to take advantage of every situation we were in, so those fourth-down snaps are going to pay off in the future. I really believe that.”

Lance was not pleased that the offense was able to take advantage of four interceptions by the Dallas defense, including one that gave the Cowboys a lead at the Rams’ 23-yard line. In five plays, the Cowboys lost 11 yards and had to rely on Aubrey’s 52-yard field goal.

“We put together some drives that were 10 or 11 plays, it’s just too bad we didn’t finish them,” Lance said. “I’ve got to be better in that area, in the red zone and the low red zone.”

Lance will get another chance next week against the Las Vegas Raiders. Dak Prescott, who sat out practice last Friday because of ankle soreness, said he is fine and will do whatever he can when the Cowboys return to practice on Tuesday. But he hasn’t played in the preseason since McCarthy became coach in 2020.

Rush still has the edge as a replacement for Prescott, but Lance is guaranteed $5.3 million in this final year of his rookie contract.

“I’m looking forward to watching the tape,” Lance said. “I think that’s the biggest part of it, but yeah, I think I definitely missed a couple plays from the first quarter to the fourth quarter. We got the four extra possessions and we don’t score any touchdowns. That’s not a good feeling.”