Recent injury update removes one QB option for Titans
Tennessee Titans quarterback trade target may no longer be available after latest injury update.
One quarterback for Tennessee Titans fans to keep an eye on as the offseason plays out and NFL training camps get closer is Trey Lance of the San Francisco 49ers.
Lance was the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but two seasons into his NFL career, the North Dakota State alum has started just four games and is seemingly stuck behind Brock Purdy in San Francisco.
When Lance had season-ending ankle surgery last September and Jimmy Garoppolo broke his foot in December, seventh round rookie and 2022's "Mr. Irrelevant" Brock Purdy stepped up and won the Niners' starting job moving forward.
Purdy threw 13 touchdowns and four interceptions in 2022, going 5-0 as San Francisco's starting quarterback and leading them past the Seattle Seahawks in an NFC Wild Card playoff win.
It seemed like a sure thing that Purdy would start for San Francisco in 2023 with Lance as his backup and Garoppolo leaving in free agency, but that all changed when Purdy tore his UCL (Ulnar Collateral Ligament) in his throwing elbow during the 49ers' Divisional Round loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The 49ers then signed veteran QB Sam Darnold to a one-year, $4.5 million contract, adding yet another piece to the puzzle and further complicating their quarterback situation. Where does all of this leave Trey Lance? Is he available for trade? To find that answer we need to get to the bottom of two things:
1. What is the timeline for Purdy's recovery?
2. Is San Francisco comfortable with losing Lance because of Darnold's veteran presence?
Purdy's surgery could keep him out until October, even though the Niners are hopeful that he could make his return by Week 1.
Evan Winter of AtoZ Sports recently spoke to Dr. Scott Arthur, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine and elbow treatment for The Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee, to get his perspective on Purdy's recovery timeline.
"I think it's really unlikely he'll be ready to do that," Dr. Arthur said of Purdy's chances to return for training camp. "The throwing program, basically, you're gonna start off at you know, 10 yards or so, and then start progressing distance and velocity and then picking up the intensity of your throwing. It's really going to be a two or three month program to do that. So I don't think he would be ready at training camp."
Dr. Arthur added that Purdy will likely be withheld from contact for the first six months of his recovery, making him a long shot to get preseason snaps this fall. "I think it would be surprising if he played in a preseason game honestly, just from the timeframes," said Arthur.
If Purdy is truly unable to play in the preseason, does that still make him the Week 1 starter in San Francisco? What if it's Week 3 or 4 before he makes his return? 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan recently told the media that seeing people practice is essential and that he wouldn't start Purdy until he had ample opportunity to see where he was at.
"I've got to see people practice," Shanahan said. "So, I've got to see where he is. I mean, we're gonna start whoever gives us the best chance to win. Brock's the guy who's leading that because we've seen him play, but he's hurt right now and I don't know if we'll have him Week 1 and I don't know if we'll have him during training camp."
While the Niners may want to roll with Purdy as their starter, it doesn't seem like Lance is totally expendable at this point. San Francisco may want to keep him throughout training camp in case Purdy doesn't come along quite as fast as they hope. Shanahan also told the media that he wants to have at least three quarterbacks in training camp with the team. If Lance was moved and Purdy was out, San Francisco would be down to just Darnold.
That's bad news for the Titans, who could really use a young quarterback with high upside and small sample sizes of NFL success. A quarterback room of Trey Lance and Malik Willis would give Tennessee an opportunity to develop both players and potentially find their guy without taking on extreme risk.
Titans GM Ran Carthon was the Director of Player Personnel in 2021 when the 49ers traded up in the draft to select Lance. He's familiar with him in every way, and saw him make throws like this as an NFL rookie:
For a team that has made it a point to target talented players in need of more opportunity, Lance to the Titans would seem like a perfect match. Unfortunately, it looks like he'll probably be staying put for now.
Image via Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
