Cowherd: It’s time for the 49ers to go ‘all in’ with Trey Lance

On Thursday, FanSided national reporter Matt Lombardo tweeted out that the San Francisco 49ers are "continually underwhelmed" by Trey Lance. While most quickly dismissed the report, given the team's consistent praise of the second-year quarterback, Colin Cowherd offered a reaction on his FS1 show. The longtime host believes it's time for the 49ers to answer their doubters and go "all in" on their young quarterback.


"I think it's time for the 49ers to rip off the Band-Aid. I think they've got to figure out a way to rip off the Band-Aid," said Cowherd.

The FS1 host went on to say that Lance checks all the boxes when it comes to a quarterback's physical attributes, which he doesn't believe is something you can do with every young quarterback, pointing to Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones.

Cowherd adds that Lance, who he has spoken with, seems intelligent enough to play the position. Another check.

What Lance does lack is experience, and that's what needs to change. He played just one full season at North Dakota State before the 49ers drafted him No. 3 overall last year. He has thrown just 71 passes in the NFL, completing 57.7 percent of the attempts for 603 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions.

"I have not seen enough of him," Cowherd continued. "... When I have seen him throw the ball, mechanically, I don't love it. It looks clunky, and that matters."

Lance has been working this offseason to clean up some of those concerns. He is preparing for what many expect to be his first season as a starter after serving as Jimmy Garoppolo's backup in 2021. Cowherd wants to see the 49ers commit to that.

"If you're San Francisco, you've just got to figure it out," Cowherd added. "You've got to create clarity now. They're walking on eggshells. Nobody wants to make the move. And here's why you have to make the move: because after two years, Josh Allen in Buffalo, after two years ... he completed 56 percent of his throws. Now, Josh Allen's got a bigger arm than Trey Lance and is a bigger guy than Trey Lance, so everyone went all in and trusted the process.

"And with Trey, maybe [he doesn't] have that arm or that size. But we know he's big enough, strong enough. We know he has a power arm. You've got to rip the Band-Aid off and go for it because if you are wrong, it's OK. It's not ideal, but you can go get the next guy, because everybody in this league makes mistakes."