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Trey Lance has experienced a notable shift in his status from starting quarterback with the 49ers to becoming somewhat of an afterthought in the eyes of some.
This perspective includes one former general manager, Michael Lombardi, who recently shared his evaluation of Lance's potential as the 49ers' franchise quarterback on "The Pat McAfee Show."
“So what I said about Trey Lance was he just doesn't possess instinctively how to play the position. Now, there were a lot of people who were critical of what I said. That's my evaluation. Like everybody that gets evaluated gets evaluated for instincts."
"Some quarterbacks are just born with it. I can't explain why Brady does it. I can't. But it happens. And so, look, I'll stand by what I said about Lance. I've watched the tape. I've seen him play. It doesn't come up. Bill Walsh, you still want to be able to say all the time, the quarterback's arm must be tied to his feet. "
Lombardi concluded:
"There's got to be symmetry to his play. That's why he always talked about boxers, you know, punch, move, punch, move. That's quarterbacking.”
Trey Lance looked impressive in the San Francisco 49ers preseason opener, completing 10 of his 15 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. The third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft has just four career starts on his resume.
He started the season as the 49ers quarterback last season but suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week Two versus the Seattle Seahawks.
Jimmy Garoppolo started 10 games while undrafted rookie Brock Purdy would start five games in Lance's place.
Where does Trey Lance currently sit on the 49ers QB Depth Chart?
The 23-year-old sits behind Purdy on the depth chart and is competing with veteran Sam Darnold to be Purdy's backup this season. Darnold joined the 49ers this offseason on a one-year deal.
Shanahan spoke about Trey Lance via NBCSportsBayArea.com, giving him high praise amid the criticism:
“Trey is extremely smart, very socially aware. He knows how the world works. So, he does his best — which I think he does a damn good job of — [in] trying to block all that out and focus on getting better. I think that’s what he’s done so far.”
We'll see if Lance can hold on the backup role over Darnold throughout the remainder of the postseason.
