The struggle continues for Trey Lance.
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback has had an unproductive start to training camp while battling Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold in the quarterback competition.
“Lance only received 4 pass attempts, fewest among Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold. Out of those 4 attempts, he only completed 1 passes, and two of his three incompletions were ‘gimmes,’” NFL reporter Dov Kleiman tweeted July 28.
“Just one day of Training Camp practice, but not ideal.”
Questions have been swirling about Lance’s future with the 49ers even after the team selected him No. 3 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Lance earned the starting role over Jimmy Garoppolo last year, but his sophomore campaign was cut short in Week 2 when he suffered an ankle injury and underwent season-ending surgery.
Garoppolo replaced Lance as the starter subsequently went down with an injury in December, paving the way for rookie sensation Brock Purdy.
Purdy won his first seven starts – playoffs included – before suffering an injury in the loss to the the Philadelphia Eagles in January’s NFC Championship Game.
The Iowa State product impressed enough that it’s assumed he has the upper hand in the quarterback competition, provided he’s healthy to open the season.
Garoppolo left the franchise when he inked a 3-year, $72.75 million deal with the Raiders this offseason, while San Francisco brought in Darnold, the Jets’ No.3 pick in 2018, on a one-year deal.
With the 2023 season on the horizon, it seems there have been no big changes in Lance’s performance and that could be a red flag for his chances to reclaim the starting job.
Lance has started four games spanning two years, totaling 797 yards in the air and 235 on the ground.
“But the major concern for the 49ers remains Lance’s wildly spotty short game. He threw one short attempt for Brayden Willis into the turf and another short throw behind Jordan Mason,” David Lombardi, 49ers reporter for The Athletic, tweeted Friday.
“Lance’s body language was not positive after either miss. We’ve seen similar inaccuracies sprinkled through warmups. He must be more consistent on those bread-and-butter throws to earn more of [Kyle] Shanahan’s trust.”
Lance must improve throughout camp and prove himself before the 49ers open the season Sept. 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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