49ers QB Trey Lance was '100 percent' back from injury since March
49ers starting quarterback Trey Lance has enjoyed a relatively healthy offseason.
For a large portion of the 2022 season and into the early offseason, former first-round pick Trey Lance's status was unknown.
However, recently the young quarterback explained that he has actually enjoyed a relatively healthy offseason where he got back to doing what he loves — playing football.
"Probably towards the end of March, I would say is when I was 100 percent," Lance said via the team's website. "The finger was probably a past thing throughout this whole rehab process. I felt like it got to that point, pretty close to that point, after my rookie year, after that offseason."
The last time Lance was healthy, the 49ers were a completely different football team. He was the defacto starter, and Christian McCaffrey was still on the Carolina Panthers. It is clear things have changed drastically.
Late in the 2022 season, Brock Purdy emerged as a formidable quarterback. And Purdy's ability to lead with poise has placed him on a fast track to be the starter given his health in the 2023 season.
But the presence of Purdy, or even Sam Darnold, the 49ers' recent free agent signing, doesn't change Lance's approach to football. He's used the time he's had since March to perfect his mechanics. And when he was asked earlier in the week if he would like to be traded, Lance explained that he would rather battle for his starting spot back heading into the 2023 training camp.
What serves as a help for Lance is the time he spent learning the position with multi-time MVP and Super Bowl champion quarterback Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs. The two spent some time throwing together during the spring, and Lance is already crediting Mahomes for some of the improvements he has made as a quarterback in recent weeks.
"It's been an awesome offseason for me, just being able to spend time finally getting back to football, finally getting back to being around the guys," Lance said.
"I learned a ton. I was able to focus on the right things… Being able to be around Patrick was awesome. To pick his brain and learn about just the type of guy he is, how he spends his free time, offseason, and then more about his in-season schedule as well."
Lance already told The Athletic that he wants to compete with Purdy and Darnold for the starting spot. He isn't running from the competition. And after an offseason where he has been relatively healthy, Lance still believes he can get his career back on track.
