FRISCO, Texas — Going into the week four matchup against the New England Patriots, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer responded to a question about former Cowboys quarterback Will Grier potentially sharing information with the opponent by saying that Dallas would consider mixing its offensive signals a bit to throw off any inside intel.
With that in mind, does the same strategy apply with former San Francisco quarterback and current Dallas third-string signal-caller Trey Lance going into Sunday night's matchup against the 49ers?
Schottenheimer played it down to start the week on Monday, but as the week has progressed, the team has been more open about the usefulness that Lance has had in both the quarterback room and with the defensive unit with each day that passes.
"He's been very helpful, honestly," Dak Prescott said. "Just in the way their defense can move, certain calls they may have to make if we put them in certain positions. Things you kinda see on film but getting some definitive answers from him on how they did things, he's been very helpful."
For Lance – who's less than two months removed from being a 49er – it might be a weird dynamic giving information on his former team to his current team, but he's taken his role this week head-on in the preparation for the 49ers.
"I'm doing everything I can to help," Lance said. "But at the same time, these guys have done a lot of prep on the Niners with those big games the last two years, so they know a lot about the offense. But, I mean, I'm here now so I'm doing everything I can to try and help. Any time I can have a bigger role to help the team, help Dak out, it's exciting for sure."
With a mega matchup looming, the Cowboys have a few differences from the last time they lost to the 49ers in the playoffs including Lance's unique presence.
"I'm trying my best to help those guys out," he said. "They've had a great week of prep so far and obviously those guys are locked in. They know it's a big game."
