As the San Francisco 49ers prepare to play the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, much debate and discussion continues to swirl around the play of starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, and the potential of backup Trey Lance. While many fans and media suggest that coach Kyle Shanahan should make the change now, giving Lance the starter's reps, the coach continues to say there is no quarterback competition, and that Garoppolo is the starter.
There are also many fans and media who do not believe it's best to name Lance the starter. But most of them would like to at least see Lance play a larger role in the offense. Add former 49ers offensive tackle Joe Staley to that list.
Staley, an analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area, was a guest on the 49ers Talk podcast with Matt Maiocco and Laura Britt this week. Staley said he would like to see a bigger role for the rookie quarterback.
"We see the limitations of Jimmy, and we all know where his ceiling is," said Staley. "Is Trey's ceiling going to be so much further? And there's a balance act right now between playing Trey — is he the best player for this football team and hindering his long-term development.
"I really think the smart thing is for Jimmy to play because he's not playing as poorly as everybody thinks. I think the situation is really unique because of the addition of Trey Lance to the equation," Staley added. "You look at his stats and the way he's playing, it's been consistent or even a little bit better than he has in the past.
Staley is correct. Garoppolo hasn't been bad so far. He had a great game against Detroit, and then led the team to victory in Philadelphia, after falling behind early. Although last Sunday night against the Packers wasn't his best game, he had some solid plays in the second half, including leading the team down the field to score what should have been a game-winning touchdown.
Staley said of Garoppolo, "He's not going down the field all of the time, but he is protecting the football. He's making key third downs late in the game. I think he's playing efficient football.
"But there's that unknown that Trey has right now that's causing a lot of fans and a lot of dialogue about what can be."
Shanahan has been using Lance, sparingly, on short-yardage or goal-line situations. Staley said he would like to see the 49ers use the rookie's ability as a dual-threat, as a passer and runner, to help revive the struggling run game, not just in goal-line situations, but also during the regular flow of the game.
Said Staley, "I think Trey can add pieces to this offense that defenses are going to have to account for, and I don't think we've even seen what that can be because the plays you run at the goal line and inside the five-yard line, where you've seen him come in, are different from what you can see in the open field. And I think he can do a lot of things, obviously, with his arm talent, but also the play actions. It's a different look for the defense to prepare for."
When Shanahan will make a change at quarterback, or just increase Lance's playing time in games, remains to be seen. Perhaps only he knows. Or maybe he is truly playing it by ear, and doesn't even know yet.
You can listen to the entire podcast below.