Update: Trey Lance was not on the practice field with the 49ers on Wednesday, leading to further speculation about his future.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan noted earlier this week that he would not name a top backup to starting quarterback Brock Purdy until after the preseason finale Friday night.
About that? Multiple media reports indicate that San Francisco has indeed named veteran Sam Darnold as QB2 over third-year quarterback Trey Lance.
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport was the first to break the news.
The No. 3 overall pick of the New York Jets back in 2018, Darnold has seen his fair share of struggles since entering the NFL. In five seasons with the Jets and Carolina Panthers, the former USC standout has thrown 61 touchdowns compared to 55 interceptions. Though, he did perform pretty well in limited action with Carolina last season.
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- Sam Darnold stats (2022): 59% completion, 1,143 yards, 7 TD, 3 INT
Darnold, 26, signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the 49ers this past spring. He’s outperformed Lance during both training camp and through the first two preseason games.
The larger story from Wednesday’s breaking news is the fact that Lance is going to start the season as San Francisco’s emergency No. 3 quarterback.
The 49ers moved up to the third pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, ultimately selecting Lance out of North Dakota State. In the process, they yielded first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 as well as a third rounder in a trade up with the Miami Dolphins.
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Since then, Lance has thrown all of 102 regular season passes in two seasons. He started last season as the 49ers QB1 before being injured early in a Week 2 outing against the Seattle Seahawks. Lance missed the remainder of the season.
This news certainly places into question Lance’s future with the 49ers. Rumors during the offseason indicated that he was on the trade block with very limited interest in the young quarterback’s services. This is certainly something to keep an eye on as San Francisco prepares for its regular season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 10.