Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Why ESPN’s Graziano believes we’ll see Jimmy Garoppolo as the 49ers starter again
Oct 4, 2021 at 12:20 PM
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Even Jimmy Garoppolo expects to be sidelined for a bit. Today, an MRI will reveal the severity of his latest injury and how long the San Francisco 49ers quarterback will be out.
"It feels like just the calf right now, but I'm hopeful it will just be a couple of weeks or something like that,"
Garoppolo told reporters after Sunday's 28-21 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Of course, a segment of the fanbase is welcoming a transition from Garoppolo to Trey Lance, feeling the rookie quarterback can spark the offense. However, don't assume that we have seen the last of Garoppolo on the field for the 49ers, though. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has made it clear that Lance is the backup quarterback for a reason. Some of that showed after Lance took over for the injured Garoppolo this past weekend.
It will be interesting to see how Lance performs in a game with a week preparing as the starter. Until now, his practice time has been mostly relegated to running the scout team. Of course, he will be facing the undefeated and NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals, so it won't be an easy task ahead.
ESPN's Dan Graziano feels that believing we've seen the last of Garoppolo as a starter in red and gold is an overreaction.
"Could it happen? Sure,"
Graziano admits. "Lance could take the job and run with it, especially if Garoppolo is out for an extended period of time. But Lance also could flop next week against the 4-0 Cardinals, and then the 49ers have a bye in Week 6. If Garoppolo's injury is going to keep him out only a couple of weeks, that could mean he misses only one game. And if Lance doesn't impress in that one game, it wouldn't be hard to imagine Shanahan going back to Jimmy G. If Shanahan thought Lance were ready to take over by now, Lance would have taken over by now."
Regardless of past thinking, this next game is an opportunity for Lance to grab and hold onto the starting job. It Lance can help knock off
Kyler Murray and the Cardinals, it might be enough for Shanahan to at least consider a change. However, Graziano feels the 49ers may turn back to Garoppolo once he is healthy so the team can stay in playoff contention.
Adds Graziano: "Remember that the trade deadline is about a month away and that Garoppolo has a no-trade clause in his contract for this year only. This could be an important couple of weeks for the 49ers' quarterback situation."
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