The 49ers have offered little insight into which quarterback has the edge in the battle to be Brock Purdy's backup.

If the order in which they enter the field in Sunday's preseason opener with the Raiders is an indicator, it is Trey Lance who is in the lead over Sam Darnold.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed on Friday that the plan was for Lance to start the exhibition contest as Purdy and most of the starters rest following joint practices with Las Vegas.

He told KNBR (h/t 49ers Webzone):

"It's not set in stone. It can always change. But right now, we're trying to plan on giving Trey most of the first half and Sam most of the second half. We wanted to balance it out that way. I rarely play starters in Week 1 (of the preseason). I have before. It usually depends on how those two practices go. And we had two real hard practices that we were real happy with. So I don't plan on playing many starters, so we'll have a couple of groups in there. But we've got enough guys that can go out there and hopefully make some plays for both quarterbacks."

If Lance does indeed get the entirety of the first half, he may have an advantage over Darnold in getting to play with some of the second string. Darnold, a free agent signing this offseason, might have to settle for playing with the third string. 

The backup quarterback competition is an extremely compelling and, given the 49ers' history of injuries at the position, important battle. Sunday may well provide the clearest indication yet of which quarterback is better equipped to be Purdy's immediate deputy, and it is Lance who will get the first crack to prove it is him.

49ers-Raiders Joint Practices: Brock Purdy’s error-strewn effort of little concern

He’ll hopefully improve when things get serious.

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