San Francisco 49ers

Trey Lance applying pressure on Jimmy Garoppolo in 49ers starter race

Updated Aug. 6, 2021 9:10 a.m. ET

As training camps around the league hit the halfway mark, all eyes are set on what's unfolding in San Francisco.

On Thursday, reports surfaced that No. 3 overall draft pick Trey Lance — who considers himself the "best quarterback in the class" — is turning heads at 49ers camp, specifically during their first padded practice on Tuesday.

The news landed after Lance received first-team reps despite head coach Kyle Shanahan previously saying the rookie quarterback wouldn't get any. Shanahan also previously insisted that there is "no [QB] competition" going on between the rookie and seven-year NFL veteran Jimmy Garoppolo.

Despite Shanahan's best efforts to squash any Lance-to-replace-Garoppolo speculation, new videos of the North Dakota State product showing off his mobility, athleticism and cannon of a throwing arm — like the dime to Brandon Aiyuk and picture-perfect 50-yard TD bomb to Trent Sherfield — have reignited the debate.

All of this leads to the question of whether Lance should be starting for the 49ers sooner rather than later?

According to Brandon Marshall, it's not that simple.

On Thursday's "First Things First," Marshall broke down why Lance's flashy camp performance isn't enough to bench Garappolo, even if the sports world is excited to see the young gun under center.

"He has all the talent in the world when you think about his arm and up here in between the ears," Marshall said. "People love him, and they say as soon as he steps foot in the building, he gets it right away. But then you have Jimmy G on the other hand. … After all that being said about Trey Lance … there’s two things that [have] been holding [Garappolo] back. One is injuries. If he can stay healthy, oh boy.

"And two, … ball security is job security. … If [Garoppolo] can correct that, I can assure you this team is gonna be in a great position come December, come January. This dude is the answer. … So yes, Trey Lance is looking good right now … [but] Jimmy G is ballin’ [too]."

Garoppolo suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 2 of the 2020-21 regular season against the New York Jets. He returned in Week 5, but it was apparent that his ankle was still bothering him, and Garoppolo was pulled in the fourth quarter of the Niners' Week 8 loss to the Seattle Seahawks and placed on IR for the rest of the season.

Last season, Garoppolo had a 67.1 completion percentage and 1,096 passing yards, with seven touchdowns and five interceptions across six games. The 49ers missed the playoffs in 2020, but the 29-year-old still has a 24-8 record as the team's starter.

And on Wednesday’s "The Adam Schefter Podcast," GM John Lynch said that Lance’s presence is bringing out the best in Garoppolo.

"Jimmy's a big-time competitor, and we haven't played a game yet, but in practice in the offseason and practice in training camp thus far, he's playing his best football since he's been here, and he's played a lot of good football. Just look at his record. … People say, 'Well, what do you do if they're both playing great?' That's another great problem to have. And we'll deal with that when it comes."

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On the other side of the debate, Marshall's co-host Nick Wright believes that Lance is the better option given Garoppolo's injury history.

"The answer to this question is Trey Lance," he said. "And what I think is pretty clearly happening, is the Niners are trying to goose Jimmy G’s trade value. They see what’s going on around the league. They see what’s happening in Indy. … They know there will be the inevitable quarterback injury. They know there will be the team that gets a little anxious.

"The Niners have done a good job of making sure, every day almost, that someone talks about how good Jimmy is."

As a redshirt freshman for the Bison in 2019, Lance racked up 42 total touchdowns and had zero interceptions in 16 games. His sophomore season was halted due to the pandemic, so he started just 17 games at the FCS level before heading to the NFL.

Nonetheless, his talent appears to be speaking volumes.

Whether that talent lands him on the field, or his inexperience relegates him to being the quarterback in waiting, is up to Garoppolo.

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