Sunday will mark Trey Lance's first return to Levi's Stadium since the San Francisco 49ers traded the former first-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys in late August. Lance is intimately familiar with Kyle Shanahan's offensive system and repeatedly faced the 49ers defense in practice.
Given this insider knowledge, it would be unwise for the Cowboys not to leverage it while preparing for their clash with the 49ers on Sunday night.
"Trey knows a little bit about what they're doing," Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said on Monday, per Angelina Martin of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Schottenheimer also acknowledged his own familiarity with the 49ers, having served as the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks from 2018 to 2020. However, that knowledge doesn't always translate to a significant advantage.
"We can know exactly what they're going to do, because they don't do too much, and they're still really, really tough to go against just because they're so talented," the coach said. "... We'll definitely talk to Trey. He knows a lot of the pieces going against them in practice, but it doesn't always help, as we learned yesterday."
Schottenheimer's reference was to the Cowboys' recent win over the New England Patriots on Sunday, which included a reunion with former Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott. Any insights Elliott may have shared with the Patriots appeared to have a minimal impact on the game's result. The Cowboys secured a decisive 38-3 victory.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area shared his perspective on the potential benefits of Lance helping the Cowboys understand the 49ers' strategic approach for the upcoming game.
"The only useful information Trey Lance might be able to share with his new team is insight into how the 49ers perceived the Cowboys' defensive strengths and weaknesses heading into their playoff matchup in January (Assuming Lance was in on all those meetings)," Maiocco wrote via Twitter (or X).
Conversely, the 49ers might be able to get more information from veteran cornerback Anthony Brown, who spent seven seasons with the Cowboys.
The Cowboys have been ousted from the playoffs by the 49ers in each of the past two postseasons. Both teams entered the 2023 season with Super Bowl hopes, and Sunday's clash at Levi's Stadium will establish which of the two is most ready to make a championship run.