San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan announced on Wednesday that quarterback Trey Lance will be the third quarterback on the depth chart after Sam Darnold beat him out for the backup job to Brock Purdy. Lance then did not show up to practice, and Brandon Allen took his spot as the third quarterback on the roster instead.
Trey Lance Named Third String Quarterback For San Francisco 49ers
Shanahan said Lance will get some play time in Friday’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
There are a lot of questions that have to be answered as to what is next for Trey Lance and the San Francisco 49ers. He was the third-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and San Francisco gave up three first-round picks and more for him. Lance was drafted out of North Dakota State and is still only 23 years old.
There are some suitors for Lance, and one of the teams that has had his eye on him all along is the Minnesota Vikings. The state of Minnesota is not far geographically from North Dakota. Kirk Cousins is in the final year of his contract, and maybe Kevin O’Connell can have Trey Lance back him up this season if the Vikings make a trade for him.
Some other teams that might come to mind for a trade are the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, and Baltimore Ravens.
Did Trey Lance Get a Fair Shake with the 49ers?
The San Francisco 49ers never gave Trey Lance a fair share to develop his game. It’s one thing if he doesn’t play his rookie season, and that’s fine for developmental purposes. He was the backup quarterback to Jimmy Garoppolo. Lance started the first two games in his second season and then had a season-ending ankle injury. He was heading into his third season, and it appeared as if they made their minds up on him with the emergence of Brocky Purdy and with Sam Darnold outplaying him in the preseason.
It would benefit him if he went to a different city and potentially revive his career. The 49ers winning games has allowed them room to wiggle with this swing-and-miss. Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have a lot of questions to answer. They are lucky that the 49ers have been good over the past few seasons despite not winning a Super Bowl title.
They could have drafted these players instead of Lance in the 2021 NFL Draft: Justin Fields, Mac Jones, Micah Parsons, Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, Patrick Surtain II, Jaycee Horn, Rashawn Slater, and Penei Sewell. That is so much talent that was taken after Trey Lance. If they miss the playoffs somehow this season, and they probably will not, it will be back to the drawing board in 2024 for a quarterback.
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