Analyzing Day 1 of the 49ers Quarterback Competition
Kyle Shanahan says the 49ers aren't having a quarterback competition this offseason.
I don't believe him.
As far as I could tell, the quarterback competition kicked off Wednesday at training camp, as both Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance played with the top receivers on the team -- Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle.
Here's what stood out from both quarterbacks.
JIMMY GAROPPOLO
He played the best I've ever seen him play in training camp. He completed 9 of 11 pass attempts, and made a few "wow" plays. First, on third and long, in the face of a blitzing Fred Warner, Garoppolo flicked a pass off his back foot to Trent Sherfield for a first down. Call that vintage Garoppolo. Next, on third and five, Garoppolo scrambled to his right and fired a pass on the run to Aiyuk for a first down. Finally, Garoppolo faked a handoff, rolled left and, without setting his feet, completed a 20-yard pass over a defender to Aiyuk.
Garoppolo looks sharp and confident, which is great news for the Houston Texans, who might want to trade for Garoppolo when they finally deal Deshaun Watson. If Garoppolo keeps playing like he did today, the Texans just might trade a first rounder for him.
TREY LANCE
As well as Garoppolo played, Lance was even better, because he did things Garoppolo can't. Both were extremely efficient -- Lance completed 8 of 10 pass attempts -- but Lance also completed two deep throws and Garoppolo didn't attempt any. First, Lance threw a perfect deep touchdown pass up the left sideline to Deebo Samuel. Later, Lance completed another deep pass up the left sideline, this time to George Kittle. Finally, Lance scrambled to his right and fired a 20-yard pass to Travis Benjamin. Lance made that look easy.
And while he played with the second-team offensive line, he completed one pass to Aiyuk, one to Samuel and one to Kittle. So Lance is getting reps with starters. And so far, he looks outstanding. But the 49ers still haven't practiced in pads, and won't until Day 6 of training camp this year. Stay tuned. This quarterback competition is just getting started.
