Analyzing Day 2 of the 2023 49ers QB Competition

Bad day for Brock Purdy.

SANTA CLARA -- Here's what Brock Purdy, Trey Lance, Sam Darnold and Brandon Allen did on Day 2 of 49ers training camp. 

BROCK PURDY

Keep in mind, this was his first official practice since he tore his UCL in January, so he's likely rusty. In addition, this was his first ever practice against the 49ers starting defense, which is dominant, even without Nick Bosa, who's holding out. Still, Purdy was flat-out awful. He completed just 2 of 9 pass attempts during 11 on 11 teams drills, and threw a pick-six directly to Tashaun Gipson -- Purdy must have thrown the pass blind to the left flat, because Gipson was waiting for the pass. Overall, this was one of the worst performances I've seen from a starting quarterback in training camp. It was as bad as the day Jimmy Garoppolo threw five interceptions on five consecutive passes. Purdy looked somewhat comfortable only when he was throwing within five yards of the line of scrimmage. He threw two deep passes and sailed both of them. He seems nowhere near ready to start Week 1. He lacks rhythm, timing and confidence.

TREY LANCE

All the confidence he displayed this offseason evaporated the minute Purdy stepped on the field. It seems as though Lance doesn't respond well to quarterback competitions. He seems like a player who needs the support and confidence of the head coach. So today, Lance fumbled the snap on his first play from scrimmage. His first thow was a dropped pick. And he finished the day completing just 2 of 5 passes during 11 on 11 team drills. He often would have to wait 20 minutes between reps, and so he would throw on a side field to keep his arm warm. He threw far more warmup passes than actual passes, which is absurd. The 49ers wasted his time today.

SAM DARNOLD

Split second-team reps with Lance and also completed just 2 of 5 pass attempts. All three of these quarterbacks seemed overwhelmed and afraid to make mistakes, which led to more mistakes.

BRANDON ALLEN

Took all the reps with the third string offense and completed 4 of 5 pass attempts. Which means Brandon Freaking Allen threw as many passes as Lance and Darnold. That's ridiculous. In no world should Allen ever receive as many reps as Lance or Darnold. This quarterback competition was a disaster today. If Kyle Shanahan really wants to decide who should start based on practice, he'll have to start Allen, who's not good. Shanahan clearly has no idea how to develop young quarterbacks, but he sure is good at killing their confidence.