Will the 49ers Ease up on the Designed Runs for Trey Lance?

The last thing the 49ers need is another situation like last year where Trey Lance gets injured again.

A bit of excitement is being stirred around right now with Trey Lance.

First it was a singular throw of his where it looked like he improved his throwing motion. The throw was a beautiful spiral and on the money. Excitement only increased when it was discovered that Lance is working alongside Patrick Mahomes. You have to wonder how much of a better passer he will be when the 49ers get into their offseason activities and training camp.

For Lance's sake, it better be enough to the point where the 49ers do not view running him between the tackles as their only resort. The last thing they need is another situation like last year where he gets injured again. Still, it might be something that Kyle Shanahan is reluctant to do. It gives the 49ers offense a huge benefit by doing so by forcing the defense to worry about him. Eliminating the runs likely isn't in the cards, but perhaps they can reduce it.

So, will the 49ers ease up on the designed runs for Lance?

They should, but I don't think they will. Shanahan doesn't view Lance's injury to be the fault of his play calling. He views it as a freak or random injury that is a part of the game. While true to a degree, Shanahan is still accountable for running Lance into the ground like that, especially when it was unnecessary to do so at the time it occurred.

Easing up the designed runs is what should happen. Lance isn't effective tucking and running with the football in hand. He is a scrambler at best in which he can gain some yards if the play isn't there or use his legs to buy time. Every time he runs with the ball as a designed runner, he looks out of sorts. The discomfort he showcases is as clear as day. It is like he is running with a heavy backpack on. Lance is all around awkward with it. 

Now that he is coming off a significant injury, the 49ers (Shanahan) would be out of their minds to continue to run Lance in the same facet. The play that he got injured on didn't work, quite frankly never really did. All his carries do is keep a defense honest by accounting for him, which is why I don't believe they should completely erase his designed runs. Just ease up on it. Cut the amount of plays he would get in half because getting in just a few or so can be enough to be a defense on their heels to account for him. 

Even if Lance still has his struggles as a passer, the 49ers cannot fall back to calling run plays for him. It isn't efficient when he holds onto the ball and runs. Really, the only benefit is it frees up the running backs and creates potential counters, especially when the 49ers mix in motions. Easing up on the designed runs is the best course of action with Lance.