National Football League

NFC West Stock Watch: What should 49ers do with Trey Lance?

Published Aug. 16, 2023 3:35 p.m. ET

The numbers for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance in his first preseason game this year were not awful.

Against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Lance finished 10-of-15 for 112 yards, with a touchdown and no interceptions. He posted a 111.0 passer rating.

Not bad, right?

Of course, if you actually watched Lance play the first half of San Francisco's 34-7 loss to the Raiders, you probably came away with a much different perspective. His touchdown to tight end Ross Dwelley should have been intercepted by Las Vegas cornerback Duke Shelley.

Lance was sacked four times. He appeared to hold onto the football too long, passed on some gimmie throws early and seemed indecisive in his progressions through Kyle Shanahan's offense. The 49ers had three three-and-outs to start the game with Lance under center.

In the second half, Sam Darnold appeared to play with better command of the offense as he competes with Lance for the No. 2 quarterback job behind Brock Purdy.

Lance's inconsistent play leaves the 49ers in a tough spot. Two years remain on his fully guaranteed, $34.1 million deal. San Francisco also can pick up Lance's fifth-year option for 2025, but that seems unlikely at this point.

Since there doesn't appear to be much interest in the trade market, does it make sense for San Francisco to keep Lance around if he's the No. 3 quarterback on the roster? The 49ers also like Brandon Allen, and Shanahan did not dismiss the possibility of keeping four QBs this year, based on finishing last season without a healthy quarterback in the NFC Championship Game.

"He does look overwhelmed, and he's lost his confidence along the way," FOX NFL analyst Bucky Brooks told Colin Cowherd about Lance on "The Herd." "Because no matter how confident the kid is, they hear the noise. He hears all the outside noise about him. He also feels threatened by Brock Purdy being able to jump in there and have immediate success with the Niners.

"If you're the Niners, there's nothing you can really do. There's too much money tied into Lance. You can't cut him. No one is really going to trade and give you fair value based on what you gave up to get him. And so, your best bet is to see if you can get him in the lab, continue to develop him and maybe he turns out to be something. But right now, you're stuck."

Clear Trey Lance isn't the right fit for 49ers offense?

FOX Sports NFL analyst Bucky Brooks joins Colin Cowherd to discuss whether Trey Lance is the right fit for the 49ers offense.

The 49ers gave up three first-round picks and a third-round pick to the Miami Dolphins to move up to No. 3 to select Lance in the 2021 draft. The Dolphins used that draft capital to help secure the services of Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb via trade, along with drafting Jaylen Waddle.

San Francisco also lost the opportunity to select a player in one of the most talent-rich first rounds in recent memory, with players like Kyle Pitts, Ja'Marr Chase, Micah Parsons, Penei Sewell and Patrick Surtain II — all selected after Lance — developing into Pro Bowlers.

Lance is still young at 23 years old. Shanahan has done a nice job of expanding the play inventory of the North Dakota State product, finding what he does well and what he should work on in case he needs to play during the regular season due to injuries to other QBs.

Purdy is still coming off major elbow surgery. The 49ers need as many answers as possible at the most important position on the field during the regular season.

And in San Francisco's own division, we've seen what someone like Geno Smith has done given another chance later in his career. There's still time for Lance to develop as he gets more reps in the offense. We'll see how patient the 49ers are willing to be with him.

Including Lance, here's a look at who's rising and falling in the NFC West through mid-August.

Rising

Drew Lock, Seahawks

The Missouri product had a bad interception during his three quarters of work against the Vikings last week — something he's become known for during his time in the NFL. But overall, Lock played solid, showing the top-end arm talent that talent evaluators coveted when he entered the league as a second-round pick by the Broncos in 2019. Lock is the clear No. 2 behind Smith. However, Lock is just 26 years old and should get a chance to get more comfortable in Seattle's offense during exhibition play.

Jonathan Gannon, Cardinals

It's just preseason, but Gannon got his first victory as a head coach as the Cardinals try to turn things around in the desert. With his no-nonsense, hands-on approach to practice, Gannon appears to have buy-in from veteran players like quarterback Kyler Murray and safety Budda Baker. Specifically, Arizona's young defense flew around the football and made plays against the Broncos. However, the Cardinals still have a green roster short on top-end talent.

Jake Bobo, Seahawks

The undrafted rookie receiver out of UCLA finished with three catches for 55 yards against Minnesota, including a 19-yard touchdown for a score. At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Bobo gives Seattle some size on the perimeter behind starter DK Metcalf and has a chance to make the final roster if he continues to play well in the preseason. Bobo ran a 4.99-second 40-yard time at his pro day, so speed was a concern entering the league.

Falling

Trey Lance, 49ers: Putting the third-year pros struggles aside, there is some reason for optimism. Lance appeared to improve his footwork and showed a more compact release after working with quarterback coach Jeff Christiansen, who also works with Patrick Mahomes. And Lance is finally healthy, after having suffered through a finger injury on his throwing hand his rookie season and a season-ending broken ankle early last year. Last weekend's exhibition game was Lance's first since the injury, so it's reasonable to expect him to play better this week.

Is Trey Lance's 49ers tenure up after struggles in preseason loss?

Raheem Morris, Rams

The rebuilt defense in Los Angeles got off to a slow start in a 34-17 loss to the Chargers over the weekend. Playing without All-Pro Aaron Donald, the Rams allowed 214 rushing yards. And that doesn't include a 71-yard touchdown run by Isaiah Spiller called back because of holding. Third-year defensive coordinator Morris needs to get better, more consistent play from his young guys in the front seven.

Jake Moody, 49ers

Some draft analysts felt San Francisco took the Michigan kicker too early, selecting him in the third round. And Moody's performance did nothing to dispel that notion, as he missed field goals from 40 and 58 yards in his team's preseason opener at Las Vegas. However, Moody has been good in practice and will get a chance to redeem himself this week at home against the Broncos.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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