One of the big San Francisco 49ers storylines heading into the 2021 season is the No. 3 overall draft pick, Trey Lance. How much will the rookie quarterback play? Right now, the plan is to have Jimmy Garoppolo start. How long will that last, though?
Garoppolo is 24-9 as the 49ers' starting quarterback. However, he has made it out of September injury-free just once as a starter. Garoppolo missed 23 games over the past three seasons, with his lone full season as a starter coming in 2019. San Francisco did pretty well that year, making it to Super Bowl LIV.
What if Lance has a superb training camp? While head coach Kyle Shanahan admits he wouldn't be against starting a rookie, he doesn't expect a first-year passer to beat out Garoppolo.
"Jimmy is a very good player," Shanahan said last month. "He's not just coming in trying to beat out a guy who hasn't done it before. When Jimmy's played, he's played at a very high level."
For now, the plan is for Lance to be Garoppolo's backup and understudy, using the time to master Shanahan's extensive playbook. However, some believe fans could see Lance on the football field sooner than expected.
NFL Network's Gregg Rosenthal wouldn't be shocked to see Lance as the 49ers' Week 1 starter. Others feel Garoppolo will start in that first game, but Lance could take over earlier than expected. Jenny Vrentas, a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, falls into that group. A fan recently asked her if other NFC West teams would rather face Garoppolo or Lance.
"The longer Jimmy Garoppolo starts, the longer Trey Lance needs to get ready, and that's certainly the scenario NFC West foes are hoping for," Vrentas responded in a mailbag article. "But I have a hunch we'll see Lance sooner than expected."
The perception is that there is a steep learning curve for Lance, who had limited collegiate experience and hasn't played since October 3, 2020. That was his only game since the Division I Football Championship nine months earlier.
"A lot has been made about Lance's needing time to make the jump from his 17 starts at North Dakota State to the NFL," Vrentas continued, "and keeping Garoppolo gives the 49ers that flexibility not to force Lance into the lineup. But another North Dakota State QB was also expected to sit his rookie year, and Carson Wentz ended up being the Week 1 starter for the Eagles in 2016."
Lance's potential in Shanahan's offense excites analysts. The coach has faith that the versatile quarterback can beat opponents with both his arm and his legs. In 2019, Lance passed for 2,786 yards with 28 touchdowns and no interceptions while adding 1,100 rushing yards and 14 trips into the end zone on 169 carries.
Added Vrentas: "The sooner Lance plays in San Francisco, the sooner it means that he is ready (barring other circumstances, such as an injury opening the door), and so are the new possibilities his versatile abilities can unlock in Kyle Shanahan's offense."
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