The San Francisco 49ers have made a decision with their quarterback depth chart that will have a major impact on the franchise moving forward. There wasn’t much debate over who would be the team’s starter; as long as he was healthy, that role would be going to Brock Purdy.
Mr. Irrelevant in the 2022 NFL Draft was thrust into the lineup in Week 13 last season against the Miami Dolphins and the rest is history. He didn’t lose a game until the NFC Championship against the Philadelphia Eagles when he suffered a right elbow injury.
With his rehab going well this offseason, Purdy was able to be cleared ahead of training camp. The 49ers have had him on a strict schedule so that he isn’t overworked, but he will ramp up his activity to be ready for the regular season.
The biggest question for the 49ers at quarterback was, who would be the backup? Trey Lance, the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, or Sam Darnold, who was signed this offseason in free agency?
Well, we now know the answer to that question. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Darnold has won the backup quarterback job and Lance will be the third-stringer. Lance’s future with the franchise is unclear, as the 49ers are going to explore options with him.
There is a very good chance that Lance will eventually be on the move. There are a number of franchises around the league that would love to have a young quarterback with the tools that the North Dakota State product possesses.
The biggest obstacle that Lance faces is a lack of experience. There are quarterbacks in the NFL who attempted more passes last season than Lance has attempted since high school. If a team can commit to developing him behind a stopgap option, he could blossom into a solid contributor down the road.
Unfortunately, that development will not be occurring with the 49ers. San Francisco isn’t going to get close to the same value in a trade for Lance, should he be moved, as they paid the Miami Dolphins to move up in 2021. In the opinion of some, that trade will go down as one of the worst in NFL history and it is hard to argue against that.
