Kyle Shanahan wants to see rookie quarterback Trey Lance get onto the football field. No, really, he does. The San Francisco 49ers coach just wants to make sure it is done for the right reasons and at the right time.
At 3-5, the 49ers are technically still in the playoff picture — albeit from the outside looking in. Of course, you might now know that by watching them struggle this past weekend against the Arizona Cardinals.
Lance started his first game in Week 5 after Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a calf injury. The rookie emerged with a knee sprain, which forced him to be inactive the next game. However, he was suited up for Week 8 and 9 but didn't get any playing time.
Many question the 49ers' approach to Lance's development, especially after watching other teams throw their rookie quarterbacks into action early. None of that has impacted San Francisco's plan, though.
"You do what is good for the football team and what's good for the quarterback," Shanahan said on KNBR's Murph & Mac show. "But you don't just sit here and treat it like, 'Hey, let's make sure we get him a series sometime in the second quarter so he can get that experience and continue to develop.' That's not how you make decisions.
"I want Trey to get ready. Trey's going to be the guy of our future, and I think Trey's going to be a very good quarterback here for a long time. That's why we drafted him. That's why we made those moves. I'm as eager for that as everyone else is. There's no hidden agenda here to not play the guy that we committed a ton to."
Even at 3-5, Shanahan is trying to do whatever he can to win football games. That is evident by his refusal to give his rookies, including Lance, a heftier workload. Instead, he has preferred to lean on his veterans. That isn't likely to change until the 49ers are eliminated from playoff contention.
"But my biggest commitment, no matter the pressure, no matter what anyone says, is that we're going to do it when it's right for Trey, and when it's right for our team, and we don't think it's that moment yet," Shanahan said. "It could be very soon. I always have a package in for him, not just to get him experience but because I think it's effective to have an option at quarterback, who brings a different skillset. But I also think I liked what Trey did versus Arizona. There were some things he didn't do great but he showed out there that he can play this game. It's not too big for him."
The injury caused a setback for Lance. He might have started the next game, too, allowing Garoppolo more time to recover. That would have been more valuable experience for the 21-year-old quarterback.
Even after being ruled healthy enough to suit up, the 49ers coach wasn't ready to throw his quarterback back into action.
"That doesn't mean you get two weeks off, and you're right back to, 'Hey, let's get him a series,'" Shanahan explained. "No, he was making progress. That slowed him down a little bit. But he's gotten two weeks [now]. This is his second week of practice right now, and he's getting right back to where he left off versus Arizona.
"And it's very important to me, the staff, and him, how much work we put into him, that he's getting better every single day because when his time does come, whether it's this week, whether it's next week, whether it's if we get eliminated [from] the playoffs, whenever it is, I want to make sure he's the most ready possible for himself and for the team."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan below.