According to the San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch, quarterback Trey Lance has full support from the team this season. In the opening game against the Chicago Cubs, Lance is expected to start the game instead of his senior Jimmy Garoppolo.
Lynch addressed that everything is up to the team’s coach Kyle Shanahan, as he is the one to decide who plays or not in the Cubs game. Besides, he also wants to see the 2021 NFL Draft third overall pick take action on the field.
“Kyle [Shanahan] makes those decisions, who plays at quarterback and when,” Lynch said Friday on KNBR. “And I know Kyle. Just like we’ve stated many times, we’re very committed to Trey Lance. We’ve got a lot of belief in Trey.
“And it’s nice to know that we have a couple of guys, with Jimmy and then Brock Purdy, who earned his way onto this roster. We feel really good about a position where it’s good to be strong at.”
With Garoppolo as the backup, the expectation is now on Lace to carry the team on his back. Garoppolo recently agreed to a restructured one-year deal with the 49ers.
Nothing to worry about
Questions were raised about Lance’s ability to play due to his young and lack of experience. According to NFL Network analyst Jim Trotter, Lance has nothing to worry about and should concentrate solely on his game.
“Look, some people question about whether or not Trey Lance is going to have to look over his shoulder, and he will not,” Trotter said. “I can say that based [on what I’ve heard from] people I’ve talked to.”
Trotter added that Lance has loads of people who are ready to back him, saying that the coach himself would not give him a full responsibility to fill Garoppolo’s place in the team.
“The other thing that helps Trey Lance in this situation is that defensively, the 49ers are loaded,” Trotter continued. “They should be one of the best defenses in the league this season, and therefore, Kyle Shanahan is not going to have to put a lot of pressure on Trey Lance to go out and quote-unquote win games.
“You can bet that, early in the year, he will ask him essentially to manage these games, make a couple of plays when they need it to be made, and not get in the way of this defense doing what it does.”
Lance agrees with Trotter’s statement, saying that Garoppolo himself has been there to support his game since the beginning. He said that there is nothing change in their relationship as Lance take over the quarterback position from Garoppolo.
“Just that nothing changes,” Lance said.
“It makes the QB room all that much better. Another great resource for me; a guy that’s played in this offense; a guy that’s done it, who’s played a lot of ball. So for me, my mindset is Jimmy’s going to be a huge resource for me, as he always has been, since draft day.”
