George Kittle on Trey Lance: 'I think he's more than suitable to play quarterback for us'
The San Francisco 49ers tight end went to the national media to talk about the Niners quarterback situation.
Trusty San Francisco tight end George Kittle knows controversial quarterback Trey Lance has untapped potential.
Lance, who was injured early in the 2022 season, returned to a 49ers locker room that is no longer his own. Quarterback Brock Purdy took the starting quarterback role from him following the role he played in the Niners' run to the NFC Championship game.
But Kittle wants everyone to know that though Lance may not be guaranteed a starting spot on the team heading into the 2023 season, he still has a belief in the skill set the young quarterback currently has at the ready.
"Trey is a starter in the NFL," Kittle said to Sports Illustrated. "He will be. Get that guy some reps. He has an incredibly high ceiling. Brock Purdy won eight straight games but got hurt. It's just Brock's job to lose at that point."
The starting tight end admitting to the national media that Lance should be a starter at the NFL level isn't ideal. It is assumed that the Niners would want the information around the quarterback situation well-wrapped up. But Kittle is free-range granting insight into what a good portion of the team is thinking.
One of the points of interest in Kittle's conversations about Lance is the improvements he has made to his throwing mechanics, and thus Lance is more suitable for the Niners' starting quarterback position.
"Trey Lance has taken steps forward," Kittle said of the third-year player on Tuesday morning during an appearance on NFL Network's Good Morning Football. "I think he's more than suitable to play quarterback for us. He had some great reps at OTAs (organized team activities)."
It is alarming to see Kittle admit that Lance is suitable to play the quarterback role for the Niners when it is still very much Purdy's team. However, only time will order the current mismatch that is San Francisco's quarterback depth chart.
Feature image via Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports.
