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The San Francisco 49ers have run into a problem — a Trey Lance-shaped problem, that is.
Lance is expected to be in a quarterback competition this offseason, despite the Niners swapping a total of four picks, including three first-round selections, to trade up and select him at third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
It has been previously reported that the Niners have been fielding calls this offseason from several teams looking into a potential trade for the former NDSU standout, but word on the street is that Lance doesn’t have a trade market to facilitate such a move.
Colin Cowherd broke down what this means for the third-year QB and for the Niners on Thursday’s edition of “The Herd.”
“The only downside of having a brilliant offensive coach is what’s happening in San Francisco, which is if you have a quarterback that you reached for in the first round and it’s not working, you can’t get rid of him,” Cowherd said. “There’s no trade market at all for Trey Lance — none.”
Lance played sparingly as a rookie in 2021, appearing in six games with two starts. He completed 57.7% of his passes, throwing five touchdowns and two interceptions over that span. He missed one game that season with a left knee sprain.
In his sophomore season, Lance appeared in just two games, connecting on a mere 48.4% of his passes and no touchdowns. He made it through one full game in 2022 before suffering a season-ending ankle injury that required two surgeries.
Lance, 23, has completed just 54.9% of his career passes and averaged 7.8 yards per attempt.
Incumbent starter Brock Purdy is recovering from a serious right elbow injury after tearing his UCL in the NFC Championship Game. If he’s not available to play Week 1, the only thing standing in Lance’s way would be Sam Darnold, who the Niners picked up in free agency and signed to a one-year deal in March.
San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan has worked with two-time Pro Bowler Matt Schaub, 2012 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Robert Griffin III, Super Bowl champion and journeyman Bryan Hoyer, 2016 NFL MVP Matt Ryan, Walter Payton Award winner Jimmy Garoppolo and Mr. Irrelevant-turned-breakout signal-caller Purdy.
“Kyle Shanahan makes everybody work … but not with Trey Lance, despite a couple of camps and opportunities,” Cowherd added. “This is with an elite O-line — George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk — and a brilliant offensive head coach that got Matt Schaub a Pro Bowl, Bryan Hoyer a winning record [and] RGIII was better for a year than Andrew Luck.
“It’s the one thing Shanahan does. He takes your quarterback and makes him a grade and a half better than he already was. … Last year in camp, Shanahan — a quarterback whisperer — literally contacted a quarterback coach (for Lance). He was at [his] wit’s end. Day-to-day, we don’t know what we’re getting. He’s struggling in the completing passes department.”
San Francisco hired private QB coach Jeff Christensen to work with Lance this offseason. A main point of emphasis was retooling Lance’s throwing motion, which has reportedly led to “a substantial jump” in a short period of time.
“With his playcalling and this kid’s upside and ability, I think he can be incredible,” Christensen previously said of Lance.
Only time will tell if Lance gets an opportunity to prove so.
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San Francisco 49ers
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