San Francisco 49ers’ GM John Lynch Retains Faith In Trey Lance

Trey Lance may have only started four games in his NFL career, but San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch made it clear the franchise still has significant faith in the quarterback they selected with the third overall pick in 2021.

Having seen what was supposed to be his first full season as starter ended by an ankle injury in Week 2, Lance was facing the prospect of potentially being the backup to Brock Purdy after the seventh-round rookie stepped up in Week 13 last year following an injury to Jimmy Garoppolo and helped guide the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game.

But the torn ulnar collateral ligament Purdy suffered in the Conference Championship and the still uncertain timeline for his return due to a delay to the former Iowa State star’s surgery has shifted the focus back to Lance, who is now the clear favourite to be the Week 1 starter in 2023.

Given the 49ers’ obvious status as Super Bowl contenders after going to at least the NFC title game in three of the last four seasons and the pressure they will be under to go deep into the postseason again in 2023, it would be understandable if there was some reticence on San Francisco’s part to hand the keys to the offense back over to Lance, who played only one full college season at FCS level prior to his ascent to the pros.

Lynch does not appear to have that reluctance, explaining that the injury has only strengthened the 49ers’ belief in Lance’s character.

Asked about his recovery at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday, Lynch said of Lance: “He’s doing really well. I feel like I tell you this all the time, but when I’m in my office—I’ve got a nice view; I’m on the second floor—I’ve got a nice view of the field. So I get reports, obviously, but my eyes tell me a lot. And I’m watching Trey out there taking drops each day. I don’t see a limp. It’s not to say he’s 100 percent, but he’s really recovering well and doing a really nice job.

“And so he did start the throwing here recently. Trey’s rehabbing extremely well. He did have that secondary procedure [on his ankle]. It wasn’t really a setback. One of the plates was kind of given some interference with some of the tendons—stuff above my head. But they took care of it, and he seems to be doing really well, and we’re happy for him.

“Trey brings a lot to the table. I think first of all, you talk [of] his makeup, of his character, who he is as a person. We really believed in that, and we’re probably even stronger on that. He does bring kind of that dual capacity, where we felt like he could be a pocket passer, but also add another dimension as a runner.

“I think his biggest thing, we just got to find a way [to get him reps]. And I’ve had a lot of conversations with Trey. Early in my career, [I] struggled to stay healthy, and I hit an eight-year stretch where I didn’t miss a snap. So sometimes you just got to go through the rough patches and he’s got to play, and that’s the biggest challenge.

“We got a team that’s ready to go now. He’s got to get out there and play. Brock got that opportunity this year. He grabbed it. He did great things. We’ll see, at some point, how we get Trey that opportunity because we very much believe in who he is as a person and who he is as a quarterback.”

For all that talk of belief, Lynch did indicate the 49ers would look into insurance options at quarterback, a prudent move for a team that has too often been burnt by injuries at the most important position.

But with Purdy likely facing a race against time to be ready for Week 1, the 49ers have no realistic option other than to renew their faith in Lance.

San Francisco was sixth in Football Outsiders DVOA on offense last season with Garoppolo and Purdy as the Niners’ two quarterbacks for the bulk of the campaign, but the 49ers never got a proper chance to see whether Lance could raise the ceiling even further with his upside as both a thrower and a runner.

The 49ers will get the opportunity to find out come September barring an expedient recovery from Purdy. Doubts around Lance have largely increased because of the misfortune he has suffered since being drafted by San Francisco, and the 49ers’ success — at least in the early part of the 2023 season — may hinge on him expelling those concerns and vindicating Lynch’s effusive praise.