Trey Lance has been a hot topic this offseason. The second-year player is preparing to take over the starting quarterback job for the San Francisco 49ers, replacing veteran Jimmy Garoppolo. Many have questioned Lance's readiness to do so—both mentally and physically (arm fatigue, anyone?). However, Lance's teammates continue to express confidence in the 22-year-old.
Last year, the 49ers made Lance the No. 3 overall pick after trading up to acquire the quarterback. The writing was on the wall for Garoppolo. He would remain with the team for one more season. After that, the job would go to Lance. That's where we are this offseason. Lance has been QB1 as the 49ers look to trade Garoppolo.
Lance impressed veteran tackle Mike McGlinchey last season, a rookie campaign that saw the quarterback start just two games and make only 71 pass attempts. McGlinchey was proud of Lance's handling of the situation, being asked to sit and learn behind Garoppolo all season.
"First and foremost, I give Trey a ton of credit for the way he handled last year," McGlinchey told Brad Graham of TheSFNiners on Tuesday. "I think it takes a lot from a young guy who's 20, 21 (now 22) years old to have the maturity to handle what he was thrown into last year, and it wasn't his fault at any point in all this controversy that surrounded him and Jimmy and all that stuff. I think that it takes a ton of maturity to not make it about you and to just be like, 'I need to find ways to make myself better and find a way to help this team in any way that I can.'
"And I think that the way that he handled that whole situation, especially when you start 3-5 or you start 3-6, everybody's saying, 'What's going to happen?' He didn't ever make it about him. He didn't ever say, 'I'm the guy; give me the reins," or anything like that. He trusted the process, he trusted our coaches, and he made sure he was a good teammate first, which not a lot of guys have that anymore."
Fast forward to this offseason, and Lance continues to impress McGlinchey, his teammates, and the coaching staff. The young quarterback has asserted himself as a leader, and his progress and potential have the 49ers excited about the possibilities.
"Then this offseason came, and he shows who he really is, and takes command of this locker room, takes command of this offense, takes command of this team," McGlinchey said. "I'm so excited for him and what happens. The sky's the limit for Trey. I think he's got every tool in the toolbox and unmatched athleticism to back it up too. That's what's cool. ... I think the football thing is just getting started for him. But first and foremost, the dude that he is, is what's most impressive to me."