Is it a Wise Move for the 49ers to sit Trey Lance for the 2021 Season?
The 49ers swung for the fences trading from No. 12 to No. 3 in the draft.
In that move, they were able to draft their quarterback of the future in Trey Lance. It is a clear sign that the 49ers have had enough of Jimmy Garoppolo's inability to remain healthy, and even his performance to a degree. Lance is sure to be an upgrade over Garoppolo for the 49ers, especially since he will be on a cost-effective rookie contract.
However, Lance might not even get to see the field much if at all this season. Kyle Shanahan has remained steadfast that Garoppolo is the starter and that Lance will be the understudy for the 2021 season. There is a case to be made on both sides of sitting and immediately starting him this year, so to get a better grasp on this situation, I asked Ted Nguyen of The Athletic if it is a wise move for the 49ers to sit Lance for the season?
"I think Kyle Shanahan's offense has been proven that it takes at least one year to learn, even for veteran quarterbacks," said Nguyen. "You know, we saw that in Atlanta, it took a year for Matt Ryan to get going into that offense, it took Jimmy Garoppolo a full year to where he really got going in that offense, and you know there's iterations of this offense throughout the league that, you know, kind of proves that narrative too. It does take a, or maybe not narrative but it does prove that notion that it takes years to kind of master this offense. For a rookie to come in, especially one that doesn't have as much playing experience as Trey Lance does, I think it could be wise to let him sit a year and let him digest this offense."
Excellent points made by Nguyen here. Even though Shanahan has tailored the offense to Garoppolo's weaknesses to a degree, it is still a complex offense that needs careful study. The last thing the 49ers want to do is roll out Lance if he doesn't have a strong sense of the offense. That is what Shanahan and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel wanted Lance to emphasize on this spring and as they approach training camp.
The faster Lance can embed himself in the playbook the better. Chances are relatively high that Garoppolo will miss time due to an injury, so Lance will need to be at an adequate level so that once he is thrown into the fire he doesn't suffer severe burns. Even if Garoppolo holds on as the starter, the 49ers should still find ways to implement Lance to get his feet wet. That is exactly what Nguyen can see play out this season.
"But I also think that you want to give him a shot to win the job, if he's ready and he'll show that in training camp, he'll show that in preseason so I think there's always that outside possibility, but this is a difficult offense to learn. Trey Lance does not have a ton of football experience. But I could definitely see him being used in goalline packages this year. I don't think he'll be sitting the whole year. I definitely think that there'll be a use for him in this offense, and just the ability to run some option plays will give defenses another thing they have to prepare for when facing the Niners, so I think even if Jimmy Garoppolo does win the starting job, which I believe is going to happen, we'll still see Trey Lance on the field this year."
