San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance opened his NFL career with extremely high expectations. Selected with the third overall pick after San Francisco traded three first-round picks to acquire him, many expected Lance to become a star quickly. Instead, he’s barely played through his first two seasons.
After appearing in just one game during his final season at North Dakota State, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lance appeared in just two games during his rookie season. The 6-foot-4 quarterback was less prepared to start than San Francisco hoped, resulting in him attempting just 71 passes in his first year.
- Trey Lance stats (NFL): 84.5 QB rating, 54.9% completion rate, 235 rush yards, 4.4 ypc
Related: NFL teams showed little interest in Trey Lance
The 49ers named Lance their starting quarterback in 2022. However, he struggled in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears while playing through awful weather conditions. One week later, Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury. As he now works his way back, Lance is earning a lot of praise from those who see him every day.
49ers’ offensive tackle Trent Williams told reporters that one of Lance’s most impressive traits is his willingness to learn. After suffering a season-ending injury, Lance still stayed around to soak up as much information as he could from coaches and teammates.
“He was in Brock’s hip pocket. Very attentive in meetings. Every meeting and walk-through he could attend, he was there. And he just always had a smile on his face. Always uplifting his teammates.”
Trent Williams on San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance
While Lance has seemingly always left teammates and coaches with a positive impression of his work ethic, character and coachability, it’s been his on-field work that has kept him on the bench. He wasn’t as skilled as the organization hoped and reports indicated San Francisco lost confidence in him. However, things have changed for the better in 2023.
After a recent practice, All-Pro tight end George Kittle also noted that Lance looks much better this summer than he did a year ago.
“I’m not gonna lie to you guys, he looks significantly better than last year.”
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle on Trey Lance )H/T Nick Wagoner)
Lance’s teammates aren’t the only ones offering him praise. Kyle Shanahan has complimented the young quarterback this summer and the person working one-on-one with him the most is seeing the improvements daily.
49ers’ quarterbacks coach Jeff Christensen told Matt Barrows of The Athletic that Lance keeps making a “substantial jump” every day with the work he put in with Patrick Mahomes paying off.
For now, Brock Purdy remains the favorite to open the season as the 49ers’ starting quarterback. If he struggles or suffers a setback with his elbow, though, it’s clear San Francisco is now much more confident in Lance’s ability to start and play at a higher level.