Who Will the 49ers Backup Quarterback be Next Season?

When the 49ers trade Jimmy Garoppolo, Trey Lance will replace him as their starting quarterback.

So who will take Lance's play as their backup quarterback?

Lance got injured twice last season -- he broke his index finger and sprained his knee. The 49ers will need a high-quality backup who can win a few games if Lance misses a short period of time next season.

The 49ers also could use a veteran who can help Trey Lance during meetings and show him how to be a starting quarterback. But any veteran the 49ers sign would know less about Kyle Shanahan's complex offense than Lance, which means Lance would help the veteran get up to speed more than the veteran would help Lance with anything.

The 49ers can keep Nate Sudfeld on the practice squad -- he's a veteran and he knows the 49ers offensive system as well as Lance. Sudfeld can be his sounding board and the defacto No. 3 quarterback.

The No, 2 quarterback ideally would be a young athlete who can play the same style as Lance. If the 49ers can draft that player this year in the mid rounds, fantastic.

If they can't find that athletic quarterback in this year's draft, they can sign a cheap veteran who has proven he can win games if he's on a good team.

Colt McCoy comes to mind. He started three games this past season for the Arizona Cardinals when Kyler Murray was injured, and McCoy won two of those starts. And while he can't play quarterback like Lance, he sure can play the position like Garoppolo, and the 49ers are used to working with him, so McCoy should fit right in. And he'd be cheap.

The 49ers have plenty of affordable options.