Niners: Sam Darnold has an edge over Trey Lance, NFL insider says
It is clear that the San Francisco 49ers are not trading Trey Lance anytime soon. And it isn't because the organization doesn't want to. Instead, it is because the Niners were forced to admit that Lance has no trade value around the league. In that same report from an NFL insider on the Pat McAfee show, […]
It is clear that the San Francisco 49ers are not trading Trey Lance anytime soon.
And it isn't because the organization doesn't want to. Instead, it is because the Niners were forced to admit that Lance has no trade value around the league. In that same report from an NFL insider on the Pat McAfee show, it was revealed that the Niners are going to have Darnold slot in as the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart and move Lance to the No. 3 slot.
That is a mistake.
As things stand, the Niners quarterback depth chart is Brock Purdy, Darnold, then Lance. It really should be some collection of Purdy and Lance one and two. And that is tied to building Lance's trade value back up.
When the Niners tried to trade Lance and couldn't, it is easy to blame it on the teams around the league not being willing to take a flyer on a sparsely-proven quarterback. Fair. However, if the Niners bury Lance at the end of the depth chart, he will never get to prove himself as a quarterback while also all but guaranteeing that he will never have an opportunity to build his trade value back up.
What the Niners are doing is short-sighted.
Purdy is the starter, for now. And it is well documented that Darnold isn't a great quarterback, so it's time the Niners do what other teams were unwilling to do — bench and give up on Darnold.
Invest in Lance and Purdy and let those two battle it out to be the starter, building the trade value of both, and eventually flipping the lesser of the two in a trade that can net the organization future draft capital.
It is that simple. But I am just a writer. And in the end, the Niners are going to do what they choose to. I have no say in that.
Feature image via Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports.
