SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Trey Lance has no desire for a fresh start even though his path to becoming the franchise quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers has many roadblocks.

After the Niners traded three first-round picks to draft him third overall in 2021, Lance has started only four games after serving as a backup for most of his rookie season and being injured most of last year.

Now he heads into his third season behind the former Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy, who went from being the last pick of the 2022 draft to the presumed starter in San Francisco as long as he recovers from offseason elbow surgery.

That led some teams to check in to see if the Niners were ready to move on from Lance, but he had no interest in a trade even if it gave him a clearer path to becoming a full-time starter.

“I knew where I wanted to be,” he said. “I just want an opportunity to compete. I love it here. I love the coaching staff. … Love the quarterback room, love the guys in the locker room. No doubt for me, this is absolutely where I want to be.”

Lance said he believes he is in his best state mentally since entering the league. The stress of learning a new offense as a rookie and working his way back last spring from a finger injury that altered his throwing motion and contributed to a tired arm are in the past.

Lance is also recovered from the broken ankle that cut short his second season in Week 2 and can now focus on making the subtle improvements needed to be able to be a good starting quarterback in the NFL.

“I really feel like I’m having fun playing football again,” he said. “It’s hard those first years, my first year especially and then last year, I thought I’d be able to get close to that point of not having to be so stressed and worried and have a better understanding of offense and defense, and I finally feel like I’m able to just have fun and enjoy it again. Obviously, there’s ups and downs and there is stress and anxiety that comes with playing the position and playing football, but this is the best I’ve felt for sure.”

Lance spent part of the offseason working with Patrick Mahomes and throwing coach Jeff Christensen, and coach Kyle Shanahan has seen positive results in his footwork during the early parts of on-field work this spring.

Shanahan said Lance was unable to work on that aspect of his game last offseason because the priority was on getting back to his normal throwing motion that was thrown off when he broke a finger in the preseason as a rookie and was forced to alter his delivery.

“I think he spent most of his time working on a grip, trying to get it back, which is usually a prerequisite but because of his circumstances he got in that, so he was just late to working on the other things,” Shanahan said. “This year, he went into this offseason knowing exactly just football-wise what he had to work on, and I think that’s why he is ahead of last year.”

While Lance may have made progress in the past year in his play, he has fallen in the pecking order at quarterback.

Purdy took over as starter late last season after Jimmy Garoppolo got hurt and won his first seven starts before injuring his elbow in the NFC title game loss at Philadelphia.

Purdy had surgery in March and is set to resume throwing again next week, and Shanahan has said he’s optimistic Purdy can be healthy enough to start Week 1.

That leaves Lance competing with free agent acquisition Sam Darnold, another former No. 3 overall pick who has struggled early in his career.

“We have two guys who are talented enough to be taken in the top five of the draft, and we have another guy who played like it last year,” Shanahan said about his quarterback room.

Shanahan said Lance’s demeanor hasn’t changed now that he’s not slated as the starter, and the team still believes in his potential.

Lance said he isn’t worried about the depth chart and just wants to “live in the moment.”

“My opportunity is just to come in and compete, and that’s all I wanted,” he said. “I don’t want to take anything away from Brock, and no one should be able to take anything away from Brock. He did what he did last year, and he deserves all the credit in the world for it. I just want an opportunity to compete.”

The post 49ers QB Trey Lance completely satisfied in San Francisco regardless of unsure standing appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Todd ArcherESPN Staff WriterAug 29, 2023, 07:16 PM ET3 Minute Read

FRISCO, Texas — Trey Lance is still getting accustomed to his new surroundings, but he is glad to be with the Dallas Cowboys after a trade from the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday.

“I really tried to not expect anything one way or another, but I can say that when I heard ‘Cowboys,’ I had a big smile on my face,” Lance said. “I was very excited to be here.”

When the Niners selected him with the third overall pick in 2021, giving up three first-round picks to the Miami Dolphins to move up from the No. 12 spot, Lance expected to have a long career in San Francisco. He played just eight games, the fewest a top-five pick has played for the franchise he made his debut with in the common draft era (since 1967 and excluding the 2023 draft class), according to ESPN Stats & Information. In two seasons, Lance completed 56 of 102 passes for 797 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions.

“It’s not how I expected it to go. It’s not how I think a lot of people expected it to go,” Lance said. “But I believe that everything happens for a reason. I think I’m here for a reason. Regardless of what it is, just want to try to find a way to help the team.”

After being informed the Niners were making Sam Darnold the backup to starter Brock Purdy, Lance was allowed time to gather his thoughts as the 49ers worked on a potential trade, eventually picking up a 2024 fourth-round pick from the Cowboys.

“I’m kind of really trying to move on, but yeah, it definitely took some time,” Lance said. “That conversation obviously wasn’t something I wanted to hear, but that’s the reality of the situation. Nothing but respect and gratitude for everyone there — coaching staff, locker room, athletic training staff, everyone I spent a ton of time with these last few years. Obviously, it was tough, but for me it was trying to figure out what was next and what’s going to happen in the future.”

Lance’s immediate future is learning a new offense, which he acknowledged is much different from the scheme used by Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. He will not be asked to do too much too soon behind Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush as he learns the Cowboys’ offense under Mike McCarthy, who worked with Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Brett Favre and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers before joining the Cowboys.

“It was a little bit surreal for me hearing I was going to come here knowing everything about this historic organization,” Lance said. “Just compared to the 49ers, obviously you think of that as another one of the top-tier, historic organizations, but for me, just very excited to be here. Coach McCarthy and the entire coaching staff, man, nothing but knowledge being in all these meetings. It’s been awesome for me. It’s been fun. Kind of a breath of fresh air to learn a new offense and being around the guys the last two days. I feel like I’ve learned so much just ball.”

Lance connected with Prescott for the first time on Tuesday, although they have met before. When Lance suffered a severe ankle injury last year, Prescott, who suffered a dislocated and fractured right ankle in 2020, reached out to him.

He said he is looking forward to learning “everything” from Prescott.

“The type of person he is, first and foremost. I think everyone knows that, with the Walter Payton Man of the Year and things like that, how he treats people, how I’ve seen him treat people just in the building these few days,” Lance said. “The few conversations I had with him, just texting him when I had my ankle injury, things like that. Just the type of person he is. And obviously the football stuff kind of speaks for itself. I’m still trying to learn Day 1 install, so for me, obviously got a long way to go there. But definitely looking forward to being a sponge, just soaking up everything I can from him.”

Lance won an FCS national championship for North Dakota State at Toyota Stadium in Frisco just a few miles from The Star. He also trained this offseason in Fort Worth with his personal coach, Jeff Christensen.

“Hopefully I don’t bring any snow but, yeah, great memories in Frisco,” Lance said. “Hopefully continue to make more.”

The post Trey Lance finds ‘breath of recent air’ shifting on with Cowboys appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

By

TODD ARCHER via ESPN

via

August 29, 2023, 7:19 PM ET

• 5 min read

FRISCO, Texas —  Trey Lance is still getting accustomed to his new surroundings, but he is glad to be with the Dallas Cowboys after a trade from the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday.

“I really tried to not expect anything one way or another, but I can say that when I heard ‘Cowboys,’ I had a big smile on my face,” Lance said. “I was very excited to be here.”

When the Niners selected him with the third overall pick in 2021, giving up three first-round picks to the Miami Dolphins to move up from the No. 12 spot, Lance expected to have a long career in San Francisco. He played just eight games, the fewest a top-five pick has played for the franchise he made his debut with in the common draft era (since 1967 and excluding the 2023 draft class), according to ESPN Stats & Information. In two seasons, Lance completed 56 of 102 passes for 797 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions.

“It’s not how I expected it to go. It’s not how I think a lot of people expected it to go,” Lance said. “But I believe that everything happens for a reason. I think I’m here for a reason. Regardless of what it is, just want to try to find a way to help the team.”

After being informed the Niners were making  Sam Darnold the backup to starter  Brock Purdy, Lance was allowed time to gather his thoughts as the 49ers worked on a potential trade, eventually picking up a 2024 fourth-round pick from the Cowboys.

“I’m kind of really trying to move on, but yeah, it definitely took some time,” Lance said. “That conversation obviously wasn’t something I wanted to hear, but that’s the reality of the situation. Nothing but respect and gratitude for everyone there — coaching staff, locker room, athletic training staff, everyone I spent a ton of time with these last few years. Obviously, it was tough, but for me it was trying to figure out what was next and what’s going to happen in the future.”

Lance’s immediate future is learning a new offense, which he acknowledged is much different from the scheme used by Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. He will not be asked to do too much too soon behind Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush as he learns the Cowboys’ offense under Mike McCarthy, who worked with Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Brett Favre and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers before joining the Cowboys.

“It was a little bit surreal for me hearing I was going to come here knowing everything about this historic organization,” Lance said. “Just compared to the 49ers, obviously you think of that as another one of the top-tier, historic organizations, but for me, just very excited to be here. Coach McCarthy and the entire coaching staff, man, nothing but knowledge being in all these meetings. It’s been awesome for me. It’s been fun. Kind of a breath of fresh air to learn a new offense and being around the guys the last two days. I feel like I’ve learned so much just ball.”

Lance connected with Prescott for the first time on Tuesday, although they have met before. When Lance suffered a severe ankle injury last year, Prescott, who suffered a dislocated and fractured right ankle in 2020, reached out to him.

He said he is looking forward to learning “everything” from Prescott.

“The type of person he is, first and foremost. I think everyone knows that, with the Walter Payton Man of the Year and things like that, how he treats people, how I’ve seen him treat people just in the building these few days,” Lance said. “The few conversations I had with him, just texting him when I had my ankle injury, things like that. Just the type of person he is. And obviously the football stuff kind of speaks for itself. I’m still trying to learn Day 1 install, so for me, obviously got a long way to go there. But definitely looking forward to being a sponge, just soaking up everything I can from him.”

Lance won an FCS national championship for North Dakota State at Toyota Stadium in Frisco just a few miles from The Star. He also trained this offseason in Fort Worth with his personal coach, Jeff Christensen.

“Hopefully I don’t bring any snow but, yeah, great memories in Frisco,” Lance said. “Hopefully continue to make more.”

The post Trey Lance finds ‘breath of contemporary air’ transferring on with Cowboys appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The San Francisco 49ers have finally bit the bullet, sending former No. 3 pick Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report the news, indicating that a fourth-round pick is heading back to San Francisco in the trade.

This moves comes mere days after Sam Darnold passed over Lance as San Francisco’s primary backup quarterback behind Brock Purdy. It also comes after Lance, 23, threw just 102 regular season passes in two seasons since being selected with the third pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

For general manager John Lynch and the 49ers, this has to be seen as a bittersweet move. They exhausted two future first-round picks and change to move up from the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, ultimately selecting the North Dakota State product in the process.

Lance got two starts in as a rookie back in 2021, throwing five touchdowns against two interceptions. He was named the 49ers’ starting quarterback heading into his sophomore season. Unfortunately, Lance suffered a season-ending injury early in San Francisco’s Week 2 game against the Seattle Seahawks. He entered training camp battling with the aforementioned Darnold to be Purdy’s top backup. Relegated to third-team duties, it made sense for the 49ers to trade Lance.

“If we can find a landing spot for Trey that is a really good one for him and works for our organization, that’s not something that we’d turn a blind eye to,” Lynch said after Darnold was named QB2.

Apparently, the 49ers found that happy medium with Dallas.

San Francisco 49ers Admit Trey Lance Mistake

Moving off Lance for a mere fourth-round pick doesn’t enable San Francisco to save face. Given what it yielded to acquire him in the first place, it will go down as one of the worst trades in modern franchise history.

With that said, this is a decision the 49ers had to make. Lance deserved a fresh start. Rostering him as an emergency quarterback behind Purdy and Darnold made no sense in the first place.

MORE FROM FORBESSan Francisco 49ers Add Multiple Veterans, Including Wide Receiver Anthony MillerBy Vincent Frank

In the end, San Francisco ended up paying Lance $27.85 million to throw 102 passes in two seasons with the team. Lynch and Co. swallowed their pride to find the best possible landing spot for the still-young quarterback.

By virtue of this move, Brandon Allen is now slated to make the 49ers’ 53-man roster. A sixth-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars out of Arkansas back in 2016, Allen has started nine games throughout his career. During that span, he’s thrown 10 touchdowns against six interceptions.

Dallas Cowboys Buy Low On Trey Lance

Lance. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)Getty Images

As noted above, Dallas yielded a mere fourth-round pick for Lance in the trade with San Francisco. Owner Jerry Jones and Co. acquire his services while paying the youngster a mere $6.25 million over the next two seasons.

By virtue of this trade, Lance will likely start in Dallas as its No. 3 quarterback behind Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush.

With that said, it was a buy-low proposition for the Cowboys. Worst-case scenario is that Lance doesn’t pan out and Dallas finds itself out a mere fourth-round selection. The best-case scenario is that he develops into a starter-caliber quarterback under offensive-minded head coach Mike McCarthy.

No one has questioned Lance’s athletic ability and arm talent. Instead, it was all about him being extremely raw coming out of a small school. He’ll now have a chance to learn behind a true professional in Prescott moving forward. Fans in Dallas couldn’t have asked for more.

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Managing editor at Sportsnaut, an affiliate of the Publisher Desk. Heard on ESPN Radio, Fox Sports Radio. 

Formerly of Yahoo! Sports, Bleacher Report, Pro Football Focus and Fox Sports.

The Bay to Vegas!!!

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As crazy as it sounds, the San Francisco 49ers might be better off retaining Trey Lance rather than trading him.

In the age of social media and overreactions, the biggest topic coming out of the Niners’ preseason opening loss to the Las Vegas Raiders is Lance’s struggles.

While his stat line actually looks good — 1o-of-15 for 112 yards and a touchdown — it’s the perfect case of the box score not telling the entire story. Lance’s touchdown pass to Ross Dwelley actually should have been an interception by Raiders cornerback Duke Shelley. Not only did Shelley drop the pick, Lance demonstrated terrible mechanics by making a throw across his body.

Outside of the terrible throw, Lance took four sacks in just six offensive drives and one half of play. He also led three straight three-and-outs to start out the game.

Despite his shaky play, Lance remained positive during his postgame press conference and took blame for the three three-and-outs to start the game.

“That was definitely frustrating, but I obviously put it on myself to continue to be better, make sure the guys around me are ready to go, I’m ready to go,” Lance said. “It starts with me so I put that on myself.”

The 49ers are moving forward with Brock Purdy as the starting quarterback. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has made it clear that he’s the team’s best option, considering he went undefeated as San Francisco’s starter during the regular season last year.

But while all signs point towards the idea that San Francisco should move on from Lance, they might just be better off keeping him.

Yes, it’s clear that Lance isn’t anywhere close to ready to lead a championship team. Heck, it looks he’s not even ready to be a starting quarterback.

But what do the Niners gain by trading Lance right now when he’s at his absolute lowest? Not only is his play shaky, it looks like he’s lacking confidence.

Mike Silver of The San Francisco Chronicle quoted an unnamed Raiders player — the Niners practiced against Las Vegas prior to their preseason game last week — who took a jab at Lance.

“He must have fumbled about six snaps,” the source told Silver. “It looks like he doesn’t have much confidence.”

This isn’t exactly surprising. Lance has had a rough go of things since being selected No. 3 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. Not only did Lance play at a small FCS school in North Dakota State, he started just one season in 2019 before playing just one game during his final collegiate season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After being named the starting quarterback entering the 2021 season over proven veteran Jimmy Garoppolo, he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2.

In other words, Lance hasn’t played a full season in four years.

That’s not only a major setback for a 23-year-old quarterback when it comes to development, it’s traumatic from a confidence standpoint.

The Niners reportedly received trade calls relating to Lance dating back to April.

Via Mike Florio of NBC Sports:

“At this year’s Scouting Combine, there were rumors of a potential Kirk Cousins trade from Minnesota to San Francisco,” Florio wrote. “Those rumors may have come from the reality that the 49ers and Vikings had discussions about another quarterback. Per a league source, the two teams talked about Trey Lance.”

NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco backed up the report that the Niners had been receiving trade interest in Lance. However, they weren’t interested in trading their young quarterback.

As raw as Lance looks, there’s little reason to trade him right now because San Francisco simply wouldn’t get much in return. With the exception of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there are no quarterback competitions this preseason. Every other franchise is decided on their starting quarterback entering the 2023 season.

And let’s be real, the Buccaneers are not trading a high draft pick on Lance. If Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask flop, Tampa Bay is aiming for USC’s Caleb Williams in next year’s draft.

If the Niners decided to trade Lance right now, do you really think they would get a second-round pick in return? Heck, do we really think they’ll even get a third-round pick in return?

Lance has two years left on his rookie deal, one that sees him carry a $9.3 million cap hit for this season and a $10.9 million cap hit for next season. If the Niners were to trade Lance now, they would absorb a $5.5 million dead cap hit and save just $3.8 million for this season. They would also absorb a similar $5.5 million dead cap hit for the 2024 season.

Considering Purdy is returning from a serious UCL tear that sidelined him for six months, what would the advantage be in trading Lance? Even if he loses the backup quarterback competition against Sam Darnold, the Niners would still feature the deepest quarterback room in the NFL by retaining Lance. Remember, this is a team that went through four quarterbacks on their way to an NFC Championship Game appearance last season.

While everyone is jumping on Lance for his shortcomings, let’s keep things in perspective — the Niners shouldn’t trade Lance before the season.

Unless they can get a high draft pick in return, it would serve zero purpose to trade Lance when his value is declining with each rough practice and abysmal preseason performance.

Whether or not Niners fans like it, Lance will be a member of the 53-man roster heading into the season.

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I have covered the NFL, NBA and pro wrestling for major media outlets over the past 10 years. I served as the NBA lead writer at 247 Sports and CBS Sports. Prior to my tenure at CBS Sports, I served as the lead columnist for the Denver Broncos at Bleacher Report during the Tim Tebow and Peyton Manning era. I have covered numerous sporting events in the process, interviewing the likes of Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, Bill Belichick, LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard. Over the years, I’ve contributed my pro wrestling expertise to both Bleacher Report and Wrestling Inc. I currently work as an editor covering both the NFL and NBA at ClutchPoints.

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The post San Francisco 49ers May Be Higher Off Retaining Trey Lance Slightly Than Buying and selling Him appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

One of the biggest storylines of the preseason is the San Francisco 49ers quarterback battle. Brock Purdy, a 2022 seventh-round pick, appears poised to start. But he’s recovering from offseason elbow surgery. Former No. 3 picks Trey Lance and Sam Darnold are in the mix, as well.

With Purdy out for the team’s first preseason game, the 49ers elected to start Trey Lance against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Quarterback Trey Lance of the San Francisco 49ers warms up prior to a preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on August 13, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)

Lance took two sacks on San Francisco’s opening drive, leading to a three-and-out punt. Second drive, similar result. Run play, short completion, incompletion, punt. Two drives, six plays, three total yards.

Third drive, you know the drill. Trey Lance incompletion, short scramble run for Lance, then a sack. Three-and-out, punt. Three drives, nine plays, 1 yard. Two of the drives netted negative yardage.

Terrible start for Lance in his quest to regain the San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback job.

But after the 49ers’ defense forced a turnover-on-downs, the offense came to life.

Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers offense finally get something going against the Raiders

Lance and the San Francisco offense started on their own 39-yard line.

Finally, they started to get something going. A good mix of run and pass had the offense quickly moving down the field.

Lance made a few nice throws, including one where it looked like he was going to scramble, but at the last second completed a pass for a first down inside the Raiders 10-yard line.

From the 9, Lance made a play-action fake and rolled out to his left. He stopped, turned, and fired the ball over the middle and into the end zone … right into the hands of Raiders defensive back Duke Shelley.

Except, Shelley couldn’t corral the pass. And, he batted it into the air. Where it fell right into the hands of 49ers tight end Ross Dwelley.

A terrible decision by Lance to throw the ball across his body, late, and over the middle. What should have been an interception and the fourth-straight empty drive for Lance and the offense turned into seven points.

On the team’s next drive, Lance made a great throw on a third-and-10 for a first down. But the offense stalled yet again, this time failing to convert on a later fourth-down attempt.

Can’t think the 49ers coaching staff is too excited with the performance of Trey Lance so far in the team’s first preseason game.

The post Dropped Finish Zone INT By Raiders DB Leads To WILD Landing For Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The next few weeks reportedly could be huge in the career of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance.

This has been a weird last 12 months for third-year QB Trey Lance. This time last year the 23-year-old was promoted into the starting signal-caller spot over incumbent Jimmy Garoppolo despite the team reaching the NFC Championship game months earlier with the veteran leading the offense.

Related: Love Fantasy Sports? Get Top FREE Insights From One Of The World’s Best Players Today!

However, Lance did not get much of a chance to prove he was the right man for the starting job after suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2. Unfortunately for the young talent, he did not have the role waiting for him once he got healthy because 2022 rookie Brock Purdy took the NFL by storm late in the season in relief for Garoppolo when he incurred his own season-ending foot injury.

Now, the backup role is not guaranteed for Lance this season. While there is little doubt Purdy will be under center in Week 1, the first-round pick from 2021 is in a serious battle with New York Jets and Carolina Panthers veteran Sam Darnold for the QB2 position. A player head coach Kyle Shanahan has had nothing but praise for since joining the team.

San Francisco 49ers record (2022): 13-4, first place in NFC West

Credit: Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

On a Friday appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show,” NFL insider Albert Breer explained why if Trey Lance can’t win the backup quarterback role in the preseason, the San Francisco 49ers will definitely gauge his value on the trade market.

“I think it’s wide open. That’s my interpretation of it. I don’t think Trey’s necessarily the number two. Obviously, if he’s not the number two that opens up other questions. If someone is willing to give them a draft pick, do you do it? Do the ‘9ers, who like Trey as a person, want to afford him the opportunity to get a fresh start somewhere else with the acknowledgment that the opportunity might not be there for him? … Big decisions are made on quarterbacks in year three.”

– Albert Breer

It makes a lot of sense for the San Francisco 49ers — despite a wild situation of multiple injuries to their QBs last season — to ponder moving Lance because two somewhat pricey backups may not be the most effective way to use their salary cap space in 2023.

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The post NFL insider explains why Trey Lance’s San Francisco 49ers profession seemingly on the road throughout preseason appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Third-year San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance went from being unquestioned starter this time last year to competing for the QB2 job with veteran journeyman Sam Darnold.

It’s been a pretty big fall for the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. It appears that this has continued through the early portion of training camp. David Lombardi of The Athletic noted that Lance struggled on Friday, completing just 1-of-4 passes with two of his incompletions being seen as easy conversions.

In fact, Lance threw the least number of passes compared to Purdy (11) and Darnold (seven) on Friday. It’s the clearest indication yet this summer that he’s falling behind on the 49ers’ depth chart.

But Lance appears to be taking it all in stride after missing all but two games of his sophomore campaign to an ankle injury.

“Just taking it one day at a time,” Lance told reporters Friday when asked about his spot on the 49ers’ depth chart. “I’m very present-mind focused. Every rep, one rep at a time, one day at a time, one meeting at a time. Whatever it is, I truly believe everything works out exactly how it’s supposed to. So as long as I control what I can control, that’s all I can worry about.”

Since returning to practice on Thursday after suffering an elbow injury in the NFC Championship Game, sophomore quarterback Brock Purdy has taken all of the first-team reps.

Meanwhile, Lance and Darnold have been alternating second-team reps throughout the summer session. Some have even come to the conclusion that Darnold is the odds-on choice to be No. 2 behind Purdy.

For Lance’s part, he spent the offseason working with personal quarterback coach Jeff Christensen, who retooled his elongated throwing motion, among other things.

“The game has slowed down a lot,” Lance told reporters. “Just going to continue to get better, though. … It’s more my feet, honestly, than anything from the last couple of years. But, yeah, I don’t find myself liking to watch the mechanics side of the last couple of years’ reps. I feel like I’m in a much, much better place now, for sure.”

Related: Ranking all 32 NFL starting QBs

Trey Lance’s spot on the San Francisco 49ers’ roster is iffy

Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

Lance’s optimism aside, the first few days of 49ers training camp have just been a continuation of rumors about his status with San Francisco moving forward.

The 49ers are going to have to make a decision if Lance can’t beat Darnold out less than 2.5 years after they exhausted a huge draft haul to trade up for the young quarterback.

It must be noted that the North Dakota State product has thrown all of 102 passes in two NFL seasons. Dating back to the end of the 2019 season in college, that number stands at a mere 132 passes. Heck, he’s thrown 420 passes since high school.

Trey Lance NFL stats: 54.9% completion, 797 yards, 6 total TD, 3 INT, 84.5 QB rating

The larger question here is whether San Francisco can get anything of substance for Lance should the team decide to move off him. Back in the spring, 49ers general manager John Lynch indicated that there wasn’t much interest from other teams.

Regardless of Lance’s positive attitude, continued struggles moving forward in training camp and the preseason will be telling as the regular season approaches.

The post Trey Lance battling spot on San Francisco 49ers’ roster on the road appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The San Francisco 49ers face a major mystery over their quarterback position, with “Mr Irrelevant” Brock Purdy shining even in the absence of first-round draft pick Trey Lance

Trey Lance and Brock Purdy will compete for the San Francisco 49ers seed

The San Francisco 49ers have been told they have a big problem with quarterback Trey Lance’s future as Brock Purdy is “clearly better” than the first-round draft pick. Purdy was brought to the starting position after Lance sustained a season-ending injury and has made the role his own.

Purdy made an immediate impact after taking the seed in San Francisco and leading the team to the playoffs. The quarterback was selected with the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, earning him the nickname “Mr Irrelevant.”

The young quarterback shouldn’t be the team’s starter this season, especially considering Lance finished third overall in last year’s draft. Now, however, it looks like the 49ers will have to choose between Lance and Purdy next season.

In his podcast, NFL pundit Bill Simmons explained that the 49ers may have to trade Lance because Purdy is the better player. Purdy led the 49ers to victory over the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL Wild Card Round on Saturday night.

The youngster threw for 332 yards, three touchdowns and was not caught in the win – it was his first playoff game ever.

On Monday, Simmons explained, “What are you doing with Trey Lance? They traded all of those picks to get Trey Lance. They end up getting a quarterback who is clearly better than Trey Lance in the last pick of the draft.”

Brock Purdy has been great since he played for the San Francisco 49ers

“So what are you doing now? Is Trey Lance available? Would you trade for Trey Lance? He’s coming in with an injury… They’ve got two quarterbacks that could probably start for other teams. But as long as Purdy doesn’t completely self-destruct, he’ll go on being that guy.

“12 teams need a quarterback. You will probably keep it. Purdy was 18-30, 332 yards, three touchdowns and no picks. It continues to be the most incredible story.”

“There aren’t many aspects other than to say that this is incredible, but it also makes you think about how stupid drawing is.”

The post San Francisco 49ers instructed Brock Purdy is “clearly higher” than Trey Lance in commerce warning appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

One of the biggest surprises of the offseason is that Jimmy Garoppolo is still a member of the San Francisco 49ers. Garoppolo was anticipated to be traded this offseason but hasn’t seen a trade materialize. This situation muddies the 49ers’ quarterback room, as Trey Lance is still waiting in the wings.

ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler released an update about Jimmy Garoppolo on Sunday. In his latest update, Fowler revealed why Garoppolo remains on the roster. He said:

“The market hasn’t been overly hot right now, largely because of Garoppolo’s shoulder surgery. Teams don’t know when he’ll be able to throw; it might be later in the summer. And so, can he pass a physical? “There are questions that teams are sort of asking right now. We mentioned the Panthers earlier in relation to (Baker Mayfield); they’ve done their homework on Garoppolo too. They’ve looked at all options, and Garoppolo is one. So that’s.” Something to watch down the road. Right now, San Fransisco is prepared to hold on to that $26 million salary, at least as a placeholder for now. They believe they can do all of their business with draft picks and free agents until they sort all of this out.” “I really do think that Jimmy [Garoppolo] would have a starting job right now, if it hadn’t been for the shoulder surgery.” – @AlbertBreer said on the @RichEisenShow.

Albert shared how the shoulder injury complicates things & made teams concerned he’ll miss key off-season time.

“I really do think that Jimmy [Garoppolo] would have a starting job right now, if it hadn’t been for the shoulder surgery.” – @AlbertBreer said on the @RichEisenShow.Albert shared how the shoulder injury complicates things & made teams concerned he’ll miss key off-season time. https://t.co/9YTPC42gqe

Garoppolo’s shoulder surgery couldn’t have been timed worse. Despite reports that he’ll be ready to throw in training camp, teams are skeptical he’ll recover in time to be worth trading significant assets for.

Another juicy piece of information dropped from Fowler was regarding the starting job. Fowler reports that Lance will be the Week 1 starter. fowler wrote:

“Meanwhile, Trey Lance has been working out in the Bay Area. I’m told that he’s got indications, at least informal indications from the team, that he’ll be the guy next year. He’s set to be that. Now, whether that means that they would still keep Garoppolo and that could change the dynamic, possibly. But right now, Lance is going to be the starter.” Here’s the entire quote from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler about #49ers QB’s Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance“/>Here’s the entire quote from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler about #49ers QB’s Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance https://t.co/Io8HONOzlw

Trey Lance as starting quarterback for San Francisco 49ers over Jimmy Garoppolo is significant news

The San Francisco 49ers have looming contract extensions due to Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel. Bosa and Samuel are two of the best players in the league at their positions and are each likely to command over $20 million per year.

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Moving on from Jimmy Garoppolo gives the 49ers financial flexibility to extend one of them. Understandably, they want compensation for Garoppolo, but eventually, you have to cut your losses. Especially if a player like Samuel is willing to hold out or request a trade due to the lack of a new contract.

Edited by Akshay Saraswat

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