49ers’ QB challenge: Pick the best three, even if Lance is out
From two to four signal-callers — from left, Brock Purdy to Trey Lance, right – would make for a crowded quarterback room. Jeff Chiu/Associated Press
Written by Michael Silver
2023.07.31 – Two years ago, Trey Lance was a Week 1 training-camp sensation. For a few days, until the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft leveled off, head coach Kyle Shanahan and his assistants were pondering the possibility that the rookie could beat out incumbent Jimmy Garoppolo and become the San Francisco 49ers’ starting quarterback from the jump.
At the start of last year’s training camp, Lance was the undisputed No. 1, with Garoppolo seemingly not in the team’s plans and relegated to sideshow status.
On Monday, in the Niners’ first padded practice of the summer, Lance split second-team reps with Sam Darnold, a quarterback who seems to be winning the competition to be Brock Purdy’s backup. Meanwhile, fourth-stringer Brandon Allen got more run than his status typically would suggest, continuing an early trend.
Put it all together, along with some interesting comments from Shanahan to me and in news conferences, and it creates a question: Will Lance be on the roster when the 49ers open the season?
I know this might sound like blasphemy, given the draft capital the Niners spent to land Lance (three first-round picks and a third-rounder) and where he was selected. And I’m aware that, given Lance’s unfortunate run of injuries, many are screaming “It’s not fair!” at the insinuation that he’s no longer in the team’s plans.
2023.07.31 (The Krueg Show) Why The 49ers Would CUT Trey Lance?
Four signal-callers — from left, Sam Darnold, Trey Lance, Brock Purdy and Brandon Allen — would make for a crowded quarterback room. Jeff Chiu/Associated Press
2023.07.31 (The Krueg Show) Why The 49ers Would CUT Trey Lance?
2023.07.31 (The Krueg Show) Why The 49ers Would CUT Trey Lance?
The person whose opinion counts most, Shanahan, is telling us with his words and actions that he believes all four of the quarterbacks on the team’s 90-man roster are good enough to stick around come Aug. 29, when teams must reduce that number to 53. If Shanahan decides that the three QBs who give his win-now Niners the best chance to do so are Purdy, Darnold and Allen, I have some very strong advice:
Just do it. Take the heat, move on and don’t look back.
That might mean trading Lance, though his current value is something the Niners’ front office surely would find depressing. As I reported last week, San Francisco wasn’t offered anything better than a fifth-round pick for Lance in the spring. It’s possible that impressive performances in next week’s joint workouts against the Raiders and in the preseason could juice that up a bit, as could a wave of injuries to other teams’ quarterbacks.
Worst case, the 49ers could cut Lance. And, yes, we’re getting ahead of ourselves, but this scenario is not outside the realm of possibility.
Simply put, after the way last season ended — with the Niners out of quarterbacks and shut out of the Super Bowl at the final stage once more — Shanahan no longer has the luxury of messing around.
Understandably, he and the organization’s other power brokers still might have a hangover from last season’s NFC Championship Game loss to the Eagles, as general manager John Lynch said in so many words during a meeting with reporters before Monday’s practice. And, clearly, with a talent-rich roster full of high-priced players, the 49ers are desperate to put a sixth Lombardi Trophy in the lobby of team headquarters ASAP.
2023.07.31 (95.7fm The Game : Brock Purdy the “Real Deal?”)
It may be hard to imagine, but quarterbacks Brandon Allen and Trey Lance could be battling for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart. Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle
2023.07.31 (95.7fm The Game : Brock Purdy the “Real Deal?”)
2023.07.31 (95.7fm The Game : Brock Purdy the “Real Deal?”)
As a result, they’re not averse to hoarding quarterbacks. On Wednesday, Shanahan told me it was possible the 49ers could keep four QBs on the final 53, at least for a little while.
For those who assume Shanahan is B.S.ing — well, let’s break it down. If the coach is trying to create a trade market for Lance, that makes some sense. However, it’s hard to see how giving Allen significantly more reps as the fourth-stringer than Purdy got a year ago as the No. 3 quarterback buys the coach anything, other than a legitimate chance to evaluate Allen as a potential option.
As Shanahan said Sunday in response to a question by the Chronicle’s Eric Branch, Allen, signed in April, “earned (the reps) in OTAs.” Clearly, Allen, who was Joe Burrow’s backup with the Bengals the past two seasons, has made a strong impression. So has Darnold, who provoked a Steve Young comparison (in terms of career trajectory) from Shanahan when we spoke Wednesday, and who tore it up on the practice field Sunday, earning public praise from Lynch.
Throw in Purdy’s so-far, so-good recovery from March’s surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow, and Lance has his work cut out for him.
On Monday, Lance had what was by far his best practice of training camp, making several impressive downfield throws. However, consistency — and, specifically, consistent accuracy — has been his downfall.
2023.07.31 (Locked on 49ers) Fights at First Padded Training Camp?
Trey Lance one of the Four signal-callers — can he make QB2 on a crowded quarterback room. Jeff Chiu/Associated Press
2023.07.31 (Locked on 49ers) Fights at First Padded Training Camp?
2023.07.31 (Locked on 49ers) Fights at First Padded Training Camp?
Though it might upset the “It’s Not Fair” crowd, Lance has had opportunities to seize this job. He started two games as a rookie and made some situational substitutions in the early part of that season, then had an entire offseason, training camp and preseason as the unquestioned No. 1 on the depth chart. Some young quarterbacks would be thrilled to get so many chances.
Sure, Lance got hurt early in the second game of 2022, but what Garoppolo did for three months after being brought back as a hedge against Lance’s failure to develop, and what Purdy did after Garoppolo suffered a season-ending foot injury in early December, blew away anything Shanahan has seen from Lance.
Football is a highly competitive and unrelenting sport. Shanahan has to decide, in his heart of hearts, which quarterback he’d want guiding his team in a must-win game. If that choice comes down to Lance or Allen, as it could, Shanahan should close his eyes and answer that question, and that question only.
Many people close to Shanahan are convinced that he went against his instincts in April 2021 when, weeks after making the trade to move up to No. 3, he chose Lance over Mac Jones. This time, Shanahan needs to block out the noise and make an honest evaluation of the situation.
At least in league circles, Shanahan has earned that right, to make that choice, even without a Super Bowl win. Guiding the 49ers to 12 consecutive victories down the stretch and in the playoffs, eight of them (seven starts and a long relief appearance) with a rookie quarterback who had been picked 262nd and last in the draft balling at a Pro Bowl level, gave him a 40-gallon steel drum’s worth of juice.
Will he use it? Look, this isn’t settled. There are still four weeks and three preseason games to go before cutdown day. Purdy could have a setback. One or more of the quarterbacks could suffer an injury in practice or in a game. Lance could crank it up and make it obvious that he’s one of the team’s best three QBs, or possibly even pull ahead of Darnold.
We don’t know how yet it’s going to end up. We can see which way it’s trending.
If Shanahan remains smitten with Darnold and intrigued by Allen. If Allen seizes the opportunity Shanahan is giving him — well, the coach’s next move should be obvious.
Pick the three you want, and don’t look back.
Reach Michael Silver: mike.silver@sfchronicle.com
Michael Silver joined The San Francisco Chronicle as a sports columnist in 2022. A Bay Area native and graduate of UC Berkeley, Silver is best known for his work at Sports Illustrated and as a columnist at Yahoo! Sports before he joined the NFL Network in 2013, where he earned multiple Emmy nominations for his feature contributions.
Silver is a partner at Backstage Media, which is developing unscripted programming across numerous platforms. He also regularly interviews some of football’s most compelling personalities on his podcast, “Open Mike,” in conjunction with The Volume, a network featuring shows hosted by Colin Cowherd and Draymond Green.
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