49ers' Trey Lance: Looking good at offseason program
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Coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Lance is completely healthy and probably "the best that we've (seen) him right now," NBC's Matt Maiocco reports. "When you watch [Lance's] feet, his timing, how he's throwing the ball, he's in such a better place now than he was last year at this time," Shanahan said Wednesday.
Shanahan still believes Lance can be "the man for a long time" but also said Brock Purdy (elbow) played at "an extremely high level" last season. GM John Lynch previously hinted at Purdy being the favorite to start once he's healthy, with Shanahan then noting Wednesday that he expects the second-year pro to be ready for training camp. Still, Lance just turned 23 in May and was the third overall pick only two years ago, so a strong showing at spring practices (for which Purdy will be sidelined) likely would be taken seriously. The same might be true, albeit to a lesser extent, for offseason addition Sam Darnold, who figures to get some first-team reps this spring after signing a one-year, $4.5 million contract that includes $3.5 million guaranteed. Another interesting note from Shanahan is that Lance's rookie-year finger injury impacted his throwing motion in Year 2 but shouldn't be a factor at this point after a fibula fracture in Week 2 last season afforded the young QB a long layoff from football. Shanahan and Lynch said in late April that Lance had completed his rehab from surgery and was 100 percent healthy.
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49ers' Trey Lance: Receives medical clearance
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Coach Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch said after the conclusion of the 2023 NFL Draft on Saturday that Lance (ankle) is 100 percent healthy ahead of OTAs, David Lombardi and Matt Barrows of The Athletic report.
Lance was lost for the 2022 season in Week 2, when he sustained a fibula fracture and ligament disruption in his right ankle. Prior to the injury, he was set to lead the 49ers offense as a 2021 first-round pick, but first Jimmy Garoppolo and then Brock Purdy righted the ship, with the latter leading the team to the NFC Championship Game. Purdy himself was hurt in that contest and required surgery on his right throwing elbow in March. While Purdy has an indefinite recovery timeline, San Francisco's brass has mentioned that he's the "leader in the clubhouse," when healthy. In the meantime, though, Lance and free-agent addition Sam Darnold will handle all the QB reps this offseason, which will be key for Lance potentially reclaiming his status as the team's signal-caller of the future.
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49ers' Trey Lance: Team getting trade calls
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San Francisco has received inquiries from teams around the league about trading for Lance (ankle), Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
The 49ers have reportedly only heard trade requests for Lance rather than actively making calls, though the team's willingness to listen is another hint that Brock Purdy (elbow) is in the lead to start when healthy. Rapoport confirms that no deal is imminent, but given that San Francisco also brought in Sam Darnold as a potential backup option this offseason, it wouldn't ultimately be surprising to see Lance get a fresh start elsewhere. Since being selected third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, Lance has shown flashes in his mere four career starts, but he will likely still need further development even if he's medically cleared in time to fully participate in offseason activities. If he remains in San Francisco, Lance is expected to split first-team reps with Darnold until Purdy is able to make his way back on the field.
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49ers' Trey Lance: To split first-team reps sans Purdy
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Coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday he expects Lance (ankle) to split first-team reps with Sam Darnold during early offseason workouts as Brock Purdy (elbow) recovers from surgery, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.comg reports.
Lance is expected to be 100 percent for the start of OTAs, but Shanahan noted that it's still possible he has to be eased into action, which wouldn't be the case for Darnold. It appears that the 49ers are heading for a legitimate quarterback competition this offseason, though GM John Lynch said Monday that Purdy is "probably the leader in the clubhouse" to start once he's healthy, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic. As Purdy's recovery timetable remains cloudy, Lance and/or Darnold could make the most of their upcoming opportunities and win over San Francisco's coaching staff. By virtue of his unique rushing abilities, Lance could potentially be the most interesting fantasy option of the trio if he were to get another chance to start.
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49ers' Trey Lance: Will be 100 percent for OTAs
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Lance (ankle) said Tuesday that he's 3-4 weeks away from being cleared for practice and will be 100 percent for OTAs this summer, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.
Lance opened the season as the 49ers' starting quarterback but fractured his fibula and suffered a ligament disruption in his right ankle in Week 2. He was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign and underwent a procedure at the end of December to extract hardware stemming from his initial ankle surgery in September. The 2021 first-round pick remains on track to be healthy for offseason work and the 2023 campaign, which is an encouraging update seeing as Brock Purdy is expected to miss at least six months with a torn UCL in his right elbow and Jimmy Garoppolo is headed toward free agency.
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49ers' Trey Lance: Has follow-up surgery
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Lance underwent a procedure Friday to extract hardware from his right ankle that was inserted during the initial surgery back in September.
Lance suffered a fibula fracture and ligament disruption in his right ankle Week 2 that ended his second campaign. The 49ers reported Saturday that as he proceeded through his rehab, the "close proximity proved to cause irritation" in the ankle in question, which, after reaching out to a number of experts, forced Friday's surgery. Lance is expected to be healthy by OTAs in May, but in the meantime the team will continue to operate with rookie Brock Purdy under center with Jimmy Garoppolo (foot) sidelined.
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49ers' Trey Lance: Progressing well, loses boot
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Lance (ankle) was seen walking without crutches or a medical boot last Thursday as he recovers from surgery to his right fibula, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Lance was placed on injured reserve due to a serious ankle injury back in Week 2, effectively ending his much-anticipated sophomore season. The 2021 first-round pick was seen on the sidelines of Sunday's 22-16 win over the Chargers without a boot or crutches for the first time since his surgery. Lance appears to be progressing well, which bodes well for his prospects of a healthy start to the 2023 season. The 2022 49ers currently are 5-4 under Jimmy Garoppolo -- who will be an unrestricted free agent in 2023 -- so Lance could be handed the keys to a seemingly potent offense next season.
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49ers' Trey Lance: Gets surgery for two ankle injuries
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The 49ers announced that Lance underwent successful surgery Monday to repair a fibula fracture and ligament disruption to his right ankle.
Just as head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed following Sunday's win over the Seahawks, the ankle injuries that Lance sustained in the first quarter of the contest will end the quarterback's season, but the 49ers are confident that he'll recover from surgery in time for a full return during the 2023 campaign. Jimmy Garoppolo finished out the Week 2 contest and is slated to reclaim duties as the 49ers' starting signal-caller, while rookie seventh-round pick Brock Purdy likely will step into the No. 2 role after being inactive for the first two games of the season.
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49ers' Trey Lance: Set for season-ending surgery
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Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Lance suffered a broken right ankle in Sunday's win over the Seahawks and will undergo season-ending surgery Monday, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Fears of a season-ending injury immediately circulated when Lance was carted off the field in the first quarter of Sunday's contest, and Shanahan confirmed hours later that the second-year quarterback won't play again in 2022. Jimmy Garoppolo replaced the injured Lance and helped lead the 49ers to a 27-7 win. It's a tough setback for Lance in just the second game of his first season as a starter, after he often watched from the sidelines as Garoppolo's understudy during his rookie season.
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49ers' Trey Lance: Out with right ankle injury
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Lance (ankle) won't return to Sunday's game against the Seahawks.
Lance injured his ankle on a run-pass option at the end of a two-yard carry, when his right leg was bent back on a tackle by Seattle linebacker Cody Barton. As Lance was taken off the field on a cart, his right ankle was donning an air cast, per Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee. While the severity of the concern currently is unknown, Lance will hand over the keys to the 49ers offense to Jimmy Garoppolo.
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49ers' Trey Lance: Suffers ankle injury Sunday
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Lance (ankle) won't return to Sunday's game against the Seahawks.
When the QB was carted off the field he had an air cast on his lower right leg, with the team now confirming that Lance sustained an ankle injury. If he's forced to miss time beyond Sunday's contest, which seems likely, Jimmy Garoppolo would be in line to serve as the 49ers' starting signal caller.
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49ers' Trey Lance: QBs to Start
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Trey Lance had a rough first game in Week 1 at Chicago, but I'm giving him a pass since the weather was a disaster with the rain, and George Kittle (groin) was out. But Lance has to improve if Fantasy managers are going to trust him, and I like his chances for a rebound game this week at home against Seattle. The Seahawks have to travel after playing on Monday night, and Russell Wilson just had 340 passing yards and a touchdown against this defense. Lance likely won't do that, but he should make plays with his legs without Elijah Mitchell (knee) for the 49ers. And Lance did have 13 carries for 54 yards against the Bears. Give Lance another chance as a low-end starter in Week 2.
While it's hard to get excited about Lance, he does offer enough upside to be a better Fantasy starter this week than Justin Fields, Jameis Winston, Tua Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrence.
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49ers' Trey Lance: Struggles in season opener
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Lance completed 13 of 28 pass attempts for 164 yards, no touchdowns and one interception Sunday. He added 54 rushing yards on 13 carries in a 19-10 loss to Chicago.
Lance had to deal with blistering winds and rain throughout the contest, so it would be unfair to project his 2022 value solely off this dud. The 13 rush attempts were a plus for fantasy owners, as part of Lance's fantasy appeal is his physical prowess as a rusher. The third-overall pick from the 2021 draft struggled with his accuracy, which was a concern even without the rough playing conditions. We should get a better idea of Lance's offseason progress in a home matchup against the Seahawks in what is currently expected to be a clear and sunny day at Levi's Stadium on Sept. 18.
Lance's sleeper appeal puts him in the top-12 among Fantasy quarterbacks this week ahead of stalwarts in tricky matchups like Dak Prescott, Joe Burrow, Aaron Rodgers and Derek Carr. He'll be popular in DFS but probably worth the price tag regardless.
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49ers' Trey Lance: To be backed up by Garoppolo
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Jimmy Garoppolo has signed a restructured one-year contract to remain with the 49ers to serve as Lance's backup to start the coming season, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
It generally was expected that Garoppolo would be playing elsewhere once the offseason dust cleared, but by amending his contract the veteran signal-caller now is slated to stay with San Francisco as a well-paid backup behind Lance. While retaining Garoppolo gives the franchise a very capable insurance policy should Lance suffer an injury, there's nothing to suggest that the 49ers' plans to start the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft have changed, with Lance's ability to contribute as a rusher giving him intriguing fantasy upside in his second campaign as a pro.
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49ers' Trey Lance: Shut out in dress rehearsal
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Lance played the first three drives of Thursday's 17-0 preseason loss to the Texans, completing seven of 11 passes for 49 yards and adding one yard on one rushing attempt.
Lance targeted each of Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk once, but all three passes fell incomplete. The only sustained drive Lance led was his last, which ended with a turnover on downs in Houston territory. Lance's preseason was a mixed bag, as he played well in limited action in the preseason opener, then sat out the second game before posting this clunker in the third. The dual-threat quarterback is heading into his first season as San Francisco's starter after spending most of last season sitting behind Jimmy Garoppolo.
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49ers' Trey Lance: Set to play Thursday
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Lance is in line to see action in Thursday's preseason finale against the Texans, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan suggested Tuesday that the 49ers' starting quarterback would play two quarters, at most, before exiting the contest. Once Lance heads to the bench, Nate Sudfeld and Brock Purdy will be next up for snaps.
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49ers' Trey Lance: Likely playing Friday
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Coach Kyle Shanahan suggested Lance will play in Friday's preseason game against Green Bay, Briana McDonald of the 49ers' official site reports.
Shanahan said he'd like Lance to play in the first and third games of the preseason. Other starters figure to play, though it isn't clear if that includes superstars like LT Trent Williams, WR Deebo Samuel and TE George Kittle.
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49ers' Trey Lance: Coach non-committal on starter
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San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan would't commit to Lance being the team's starting quarterback in 2022 when asked about the matter Tuesday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports..
While Shanahan's unwillingness to appoint Lance to the starting role may seem worrisome to those in redraft or dynasty leagues who have invested in the 2021 first-round pick, at the same time, the coach also expressed confidence in the second-year signal-caller's ability to handle the starting job if called upon in 2022. In all likelihood, Shanahan's comments are a means of drumming up trade value for Jimmy Garoppolo (shoulder), who still remains in San Francisco while the market for starting quarterbacks around the league has mostly settled at this point in the offseason. Garoppolo already noted earlier in the offseason that he didn't expect to remain in San Francisco in 2022, and it wouldn't make much sense from a cap-management standpoint for San Francisco to keep the veteran and his massive $27 million cap hit around past the June 1 deadline to cut him with minimal financial repercussions. The possibility exists that the 49ers could ask Garoppolo to restructure his deal at a more palatable salary, but even in that scenario, the 30-year-old wouldn't be guaranteed to retain the starting gig. Even in the unlikely event that Garoppolo is still on the San Francisco roster by the summer, the smart money would still be on Lance getting the keys to Shanahan's offense in 2022.
