Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans is the latest member of the San Francisco 49ers to send praise in the direction of quarterback Trey Lance, telling reporters on Wednesday that Lance has been hitting the mark with his accuracy and has consistently improved throughout offseason workouts.
Lance reportedly connected on two deep passes of over 40 yards on Ryans' defense Wednesday, which was the second day of the 49ers' three-day mandatory minicamp. Ryans spoke with reporters after practice, saying Lance has been a handful for his defense in recent practice sessions.
"Defending him has been tough," Ryans said. "He's putting the ball on the money every time he throws it. The accuracy is there. The deep ball is there. To show whatever he wants, he can zip it in there and make a lot of plays. So I'm excited for Trey and what he can do. He's setting himself up to have a really good season for us."
Ryans also said Lance has done an "outstanding job" throughout the offseason and has grown as a result of the Organized Team Activities the 49ers went through during the third phase of their offseason workout program.
"Trey has gotten better and better and better each day," Ryans said. "Again, another guy who's benefited from having these OTA practices. Trey has done an exceptional job and I know we're proud of where he is right now."
This year's offseason workout program carried a high amount of importance for Lance, who is expected to take over the starting spot for the 49ers after spending most of his rookie season in 2021 learning behind Jimmy Garoppolo. Lance's progress has been a popular topic of discussion given some of the unflattering reports that surfaced earlier in the spring, but the reviews coming from his teammates and coaches as of late have been positive.
"I think just having these OTA practices has been really good, because it's about getting reps and going out there," 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday. "And I feel like for the first couple days, Trey, along with everybody else, they were just trying to win the day, which to me, doesn't help you that much. You really have to hone in on getting better. The defense you're going against, they know the offense and you can't try to just go for the big plays. You have to play with your fundamentals and prove with every rep you have, because you don't get many reps of play in this game and you get them fully in the preseason and that's about it, before it really counts. And I think Trey's been deliberate in everything he's done. I think especially last week heading into today you can see really see him stacking days and getting better each practice."
Lance and the 49ers are slated to wrap up their offseason workout schedule with the third day of mandatory minicamp tomorrow, although the 49ers have cut the minicamp schedule one day short in recent years. He told reporters Tuesday that he benefited from having the opportunities he was given during OTAs, and from getting to know his new teammates and coaches.
"Just reps, being able to be around the guys, being able to be in the locker room, around the coaches," Lance said. "It was big to get [QB] Brock [Purdy] in the room, new quarterback coach, new assistant quarterback coach, just being around the guys again and being around football and this situation is a lot different than training other places or throwing routes on air to other guys."
