The San Francisco 49ers took a significant gamble on Trey Lance, who has limited NFL experience due to a season-ending broken ankle. The uncertainty surrounding Brock Purdy’s return has sparked speculation about Lance’s role. Ian Rapoport believes it’s unlikely for Lance to start in Week One. Can Lance recover on the field after a prolonged absence?

The quarterback competition between the 49ers’ Trey Lance and Sam Darnold will captivate attention. With Brock Purdy sidelined, Darnold needs to close the gap and impress coaches to be considered for the starting role against the promising Lance.

49ers in search of QB1?

While at ‘The Pat McAfee Show’, the team along with Ian Rapoport, expressed doubt about Lance’s abilities because of his limited playing time and past injury. Questioning, how long it would take for Lance to develop into a skilled football player after being away from the game for so long. Rapoport said – “We have not seen whatever Trey Lance is going to be, we have not seen” to which the team at the show replied “Unless we have. That’s kind of the really just the worst trade in the history of sports,” arguing that considering Darnold over Lance without seeing Lance’s performance would make it the worst trade in sports history.

Also, they examined the decision-making of the front office, with someone suggesting that if they truly had confidence in Lance, they wouldn’t have acquired Darnold. It would have made more sense to prioritize Lance’s readiness for Week One.

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The importance of giving Lance playing time was also highlighted on the show, as neglecting him would diminish his trade value and leave the team with a third-starting QB – “At some point, they have to play Trey Lance otherwise they have absolutely no trade value, and they’re going to end up. It’s like Oh we traded away all these assets to have a guy who’s gonna be like our third strength quarterback.” Although winning games is currently the priority, such a decision could lead to consequences for the general manager and head coach in any other team.

49ers had reservations about Lance?

There seemed to be some reservations among the core group about Lance. While there wasn’t animosity towards Lance as a person, the group had doubts about him as a player and recognized his need for development.

When the 49ers re-signed Jimmy Garoppolo last season, Kyle Shanahan discussed with the core group the importance of supporting Lance. Shanahan understood that if Lance struggled and the team suffered losses as a result, the players would lose confidence in Lance and demand Garoppolo’s return.

In Darnold’s case, building a strong rapport with key players like George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey was crucial. The closer Darnold could become with the team’s core, the better his chances of surpassing Lance and becoming the 49ers’ starting quarterback.

However, Rapoport & team in conversation expressed skepticism about the likelihood of Lance playing, implying a lack of confidence in his preparedness. They contrasted this with the Green Bay Packers‘ apparent trust in Jordan Love, drawing a parallel between the two situations.

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