Jimmy Garoppolo is trying to fend off anyone from overtaking him on the depth chart — specifically, the No. 3 overall pick, Trey Lance. It sounds like he put in a solid effort during organized team activities, which ended today. The veteran quarterback will look to continue impressing his coaches in training camp at the end of July.
Garoppolo is slated to be the San Francisco 49ers' starting quarterback when the team kicks off against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on September 12. Head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters today and expressed how pleased he is with Garoppolo's performance during the offseason program.
"I think Jimmy had his best spring since we've had him," Shanahan said. "We had the spring the first year (after 2017) with him, the second year (after 2018), he had the ACL, so we didn't get that. And then last year, it was COVID, so this is really his second one not being on an ACL.
"I thought Jimmy came in in great shape, really locked in, a good place physically and mentally, and I thought he's had as good of OTAs as he's had."
That doesn't mean that Shanahan wasn't impressed with his rookie quarterback. San Francisco has the luxury of having Garoppolo, who coaches have a great deal of confidence in. The veteran helped guide the team to a Super Bowl during the 2019 season. There is no rush to get Lance into the starting lineup.
"I think [Lance] did a good job, just being able to throw everything at him," Shanahan shared. "We got through the whole installation. And to be able to do that, there's a process of it. Some days you do good. Some days you do bad. But there's a whole up and down with it that is necessary for a guy to go through so you can get those reps, soak it in, have an idea of what it feels like.
"Now, we have tape to show him. Tape to talk to him about. He gets to get away on his own and have an idea of what's expected out of him when he gets back. Just going through the process, kind of with most people with OTAs, I don't really ever say it was good or bad because just going through it, to me, is good.
"Even if he didn't do that well, which I thought he did, but it's just the experience of how it affects you in camp. It leads to what you've got to work on when you're away, and it really helps you get your mind right and your body right for what's ahead of us."
New offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel added that the 49ers aren't looking to get too far ahead of themselves when it comes to getting Lance up to speed.
"Really, you have to get back to the basics," McDaniel told reporters. "And, with a guy like Trey, you're just teaching him the offense and coaching him on fundamentals and seeing where he can get. Really preparing him for his 40 days off where he can work on his own and preparing him to compete in training camp.
"So, you do your best not to get ahead of yourself. You really try to focus on, 'Okay, what are we doing today? And can we get better at something today and move forward to the next day?'"
Players will report back to Santa Clara on July 27. Training camp practices will begin four days later.
