San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is in a unique situation. The team traded away a lot of draft capital to move up to select Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick. The rookie quarterback probably won't be the team's starter, though. Instead, that will likely be Jimmy Garoppolo. Although, no official announcement came today when Shanahan spoke with reporters via a conference call.
Lance has played in just one game over the last 19 months. He hasn't taken a meaningful snap since October 3, 2020. Lance needs reps and has received plenty during training camp and the preseason. At times, the rookie has shown flashes of his potential, which has excited the 49ers Faithful. At other times, Lance has looked like a rookie.
Lance requires development. How does Shanahan balance that with the need to take advantage of what many believe is a championship roster with Garoppolo at the helm?
Shanahan has made it clear that Lance, starter or not, will play this season. The coach showed off a potential preview of that during Sunday's preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders, switching between Garoppolo and Lance mid-drives. The result was impressive for the 49ers and a headache for Raiders defenders who had to adapt quickly between two very different quarterbacks.
Typically, a quarterback drafted as high as Lance would be on a bad team. The 49ers are far from a bad team. What are the challenges of developing a rookie quarterback who needs reps while trying to win now?
"There's a couple of things to it," Shanahan responded. "That's why I try to start with who gives you the best chance to win, and that's kind of what you owe to an organization. That's what you owe to your building. That's what you owe to all the players and coaches on the team, who are grinding every single week.
"And whether it's players, whether it's coaches, whether it's personnel people, you do what you can to win. And if you're not, I don't feel like you're being fair to people."
Still, Shanahan knows what the 49ers gave up for Lance. He is the team's quarterback of the future and was a significant offseason (and future) investment. Many fans are eager to see what the 49ers offense looks like with the dynamic 21-year-old player under center.
"At the same time, I get spending the draft picks to get a young quarterback, and you've got to do what's right for that guy too," Shanahan continued. "And what I think has been tough on Trey is he didn't get to play football all last [season, save one game]. So, regardless of what happens, I'm always trying to make sure Trey doesn't go a whole other year without playing football.
"We're going to make sure we do what's best for him, getting him reps on the practice field, hopefully in games too, and we'll see how this all pans out. But my order of thinking always starts with what's best for this organization and what gives this organization its best chance to win. And then after that, I'm always thinking of the individual."
Lance won't practice this week. The rookie quarterback suffered a "small chip" in his finger against the Raiders. That will require him to sit out practices and rest his hand for a week. Shanahan expects Lance to begin practicing again next week, in time to prepare for the regular-season opener against the Detroit Lions.