Trey Lance Sees a Benefit in a QB Competition With Brock Purdy
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The 2022 season was over for Trey Lance before it really got going.
Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 against the Seahawks. The first two years of his young career have started out incredibly unfortunate. To make matters worse, he is now behind the eight-ball to be the starting quarterback once again.
Brock Purdy was playing at a high-level when he filled in as the starter for Jimmy Garoppolo who suffered a broken foot. He proved to be a massive upgrade from Garoppolo and factored into the 49ers' deep playoff run. Purdy would've been the presumed favorite had he not suffered a UCL injury that will require surgery. He is expected to be ready by the time training camp starts in August, which means the 49ers will have another quarterback controversy on their hands. A competition is the most likely way this will play out and that is something Lance welcomes with open arms.
"It wasn't a situation," said Lance on The Rich Eisen Show. "And I wouldn't want it to be that way. Brock played way too well, and Brock played at such a high level and handled himself the right way. I wouldn't want it to be a situation where I'm just handed something. And I feel horrible, obviously, Brock for his injury. But for me, I truly believe everything happens for a reason. Whether it's his, he's going to be better for it. Mine, I'm going to be better for it. And I'm excited to just get on the field and compete. That's all I want an opportunity to do."
Lance sees a benefit in a quarterback competition with Purdy. This is the most perfect answer he could've said here. He fully acknowledges that Purdy was great in his stint and that he is not a lock to start because of that. Rather than feel negative about it all, Lance views it as a challenge and a way to prove/motivate himself. You cannot say enough things about how admirable of a mindset that Lance has about it all, especially because he most likely was the backup had Purdy not been injured.
"Everyone saw what Brock did," Lance said. "Brock doesn't just come in and play that well, and I just get handed something out of the blue. And I don't expect that or want that, but I truly believe, yeah, I just want an opportunity to compete. That's all I wanted going into this offseason."
An opportunity is exactly what Lance will get. OTAs is when he will get to kickstart things to show where he is at as a precursor to training camp. He's going to need to hit the ground running and have minimal drop-off when camp commences. I feel strongly that Kyle Shanahan has Purdy as the starter in his mind if he is healthy and throwing without issues from his injury.
In a way, Purdy's injury actually gives Lance a chance to make his case. I doubt he gets much of a chance or any consideration if Purdy was healthy and played well in the NFC Championship Game. Either way, the reality is that Lance gets an opportunity and that is all he has ever needed. He needs reps if he is ever going to develop. The 49ers haven't done him too many favors with how they have brought him up. Despite all of that, Lance still remains headstrong and is raring to go when he gets back on the practice field.
"All I can say to people at the end of the day is I'm going to do everything I possibly can to be as prepared as I possibly can and be ready to go every week. At the end of the day, I'm not gonna promise anyone anything . I'm not gonna promise anyone a certain number of wins, but I believe in myself. And at the end of the day, that's all I can do."
