This week, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan shut down all the quarterback questions before they could be asked.
"This is Trey's team," Shanahan told reporters during his Tuesday press conference. "That's nothing against Jimmy," Shanahan continued. "We made that decision a year ago, and we're going with that. We're not going to mess around anymore."
Trey Lance is QB1 in Santa Clara—no ifs, ands, or buts. Of course, this has been the case for some time. Anyone reading into what the 49ers were doing this offseason could see it. The team was clearly transitioning from veteran Jimmy Garoppolo to last year's No. 3 overall pick, and has been working the whole offseason to trade Garoppolo.
Players are happy they don't have to answer any more quarterback questions—aside from how Lance is performing in his first offseason as the starter. That includes star linebacker Fred Warner.
"Yeah, it's good," Warner told NFL Network's Steve Wyche after Wednesday's practice. "You want to kind of try and eliminate as many of the distractions as possible heading into camp, heading into the season. And that's good for Trey; Trey being able to kind of take the reins and build his confidence, grow in his role on the team as the QB leading the team."
Lance started just two games last season, throwing only 71 passes during his rookie campaign. Now, he has been handed the keys to head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense. Warner knows it will be up to the rest of the team, including the defensive unit that ranked No. 3 in total yards allowed last season, to support the 22-year-old quarterback, should he struggle.
"And then it's our job on defense to make sure we support him and make sure we're the best that we can be because the expectation is always to be No. 1," Warner said.
