Trey Lance heads closer to 49ers exit after losing backup role to Sam Darnold
Trey Lance was picked as the quarterback of the future of the 49ers back in 2021, now the team is reported to be "exploring options" after electing to go with Sam Darnold as the No. 2 to Brock Purdy. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday that the 49ers had elected to […]
Trey Lance was picked as the quarterback of the future of the 49ers back in 2021, now the team is reported to be "exploring options" after electing to go with Sam Darnold as the No. 2 to Brock Purdy.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday that the 49ers had elected to go with Darnold ahead of Lance on the depth chart.
Darnold was the first quarterback on the field on Saturday following Brock Purdy's cameo against the Broncos, and the decision comes following two up-and-down performances in preseason for Lance.
Lance has displayed plenty of flashes of the throwing ability that convinced the 49ers to take him after trading three first-round picks to move up to the third overall pick in the 2021 draft. However, those glimpses have been sandwiched by some confounding decision-making and hesitancy to deliver the ball decisively on throws that are a staple of the Shanahan offense.
By contrast Darnold, a third overall pick of the Jets in 2018, has looked confident and poised while delivering consistent reminders of the arm talent that once had him regarded as an elite prospect at the game's most important position.
Lance's relegation to the third string marks a remarkable fall for a player who was seen to be entering an ideal situation in the Bay Area when he was drafted.
That downfall is predominantly the product of injuries that have robbed him of playing time. Lance dealt with finger and knee injuries in his rookie year when he sat behind Jimmy Garoppolo. After being named the starter last year, Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2. That blow, coupled with Garoppolo sustaining a foot injury in Week 13, propelled Purdy to a starting role on which he has deservedly cemented his grip.
Lance's future in San Francisco now looks bleak, and the announcement of this decision ahead of the final preseason game may lead interested teams to call the 49ers to see what price they would accept in a trade for a player who could be an enticing project for several coaches.
San Francisco's trade for Lance will likely go down as one of biggest draft miscues in NFL history but, as long as Purdy is "the real deal" as Kyle Shanahan recently described him, they won't pay much of an on-field price. Instead, any regret should center around the lost draft capital that could have further stacked the deck for one of the NFL's most talented rosters.
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