Last season, Trey Lance suffered a finger injury during a preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders. At the time, no one realized how serious the injury was, and neither the San Francisco 49ers nor the then-rookie quarterback was sharing that information.
By September 6, 2021, Lance had ditched the finger splint on his index finger but still wasn't throwing at practice. Then, six days later, the quarterback indicated that he was doing much better.
"It really didn't swell up too bad," Lance said on September 12, 2021. "It was just like range-of-motion and just kind of getting that back. And obviously, there was some inflammation in my finger, but it's all good now, thankfully."
Obviously, that wasn't the case. The finger was still bothering the quarterback, which may have played a part in his limited use—two starts and just 71 passing attempts—in 2021. It was also likely the cause of the numerous reports surfacing this offseason that the quarterback was dealing with "arm fatigue" during his rookie campaign and needed time off.
In May, Lance was a little more open about the injury, sharing that he was held back by the finger and wasn't the best version of himself even toward the end of the season. So the impact lasted a while.
"I kind of had to learn to throw the ball differently without kind of using my pointer finger, I guess because of just where it was at throughout the year," Lance said on May 24. "But now, I feel like I'm in a great spot, health-wise, and throwing the ball wall, and feeling really good."
Fans hope that is true this time. The 49ers are depending on Lance to be the starting quarterback this season and lead a team with lofty ambitions. Lance has looked healthy all offseason and appears set to get his NFL career going, proving he is ready to shoulder the responsibility of quarterbacking one of sports' most storied franchises.
Lance, speaking with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, recently shared some more details about the finger injury that derailed his rookie season.
"I chipped the bone in my pointer finger, so I had to wait on it. It was super swollen, couldn't really bend it or straighten it," Lance told Breer. "It [happened] at the Raiders [preseason] game. We had a bye week after the Raiders game, I had a splint on just to try to get it back straight. So it chipped, it kind of stayed bent like this and we just had to keep working. I wore a little brace that kind of … it pushed down on my knuckle and up on both sides of my finger. I just kept wearing it and stretching it as much as I could, scraping it and just trying to get all the scar tissue out of there."
Last year, general manager John Lynch realized the team's No. 3 overall pick was compromised but admired how the young quarterback fought to improve despite the limitations.
"I was blown away with the way he handled that, finding a way to get out there and get better every day," Lynch told Breer. "And it was hard because of that finger, and it wasn't always pretty. That's the finger you throw a football with, and he didn't have that. It was compromised. It led to some bad habits. But he still found a way to get better, to support Jimmy [Garoppolo], to be a great teammate and earn the respect of our guys."
San Francisco knew it had a raw product in Lance, who started just 17 games at North Dakota State before entering the draft. The team insisted that established veteran Jimmy Garoppolo was its starter. While Lance was clearly the future, the team felt Garoppolo gave it the best chance to win, and that the rookie was better served sitting and learning.
But a quarterback competition was brewing as training camp kicked off, and Lance had shown great offseason strides.
"The first two weeks of training camp, we were considering it a real good competition, the way he came out," Shanahan admitted. "And then the more stuff went in, Jimmy being so used to it and Jimmy playing at a high level, Jimmy and him, there was separation between the two. There were some rookie things that he was doing. He just needed more time, and I was pumped that Jimmy gave him that time."
Then Lance's injury occurred, ending all hope that the quarterback might somehow find a way to overtake Garoppolo.
"I didn't really know how much it was affecting me until we were getting into the season," Lance said. "Every week kind of got harder. And I was working on it, I knew obviously it was broken. It didn't feel good. But I wanted to play. I wanted at least to have an opportunity to be ready and be the two, whatever my role was [going to be] that year. So yeah, I took care of it the best that I could. But there's just kind of only so much you can do."
Lance fought through the injury through his two starts, grateful for any playing time he could get. He didn't discuss the finger with reporters, suggesting it was no longer an issue. Actually, he didn't discuss anything with the media. Following his first start against the Arizona Cardinals during Week 5, the 49ers didn't allow the rookie quarterback to speak with reporters again until the week leading to his second start, a pivotal playoff-impacting Week 17 matchup against the Houston Texans.
"I'm going to be a lot better than I was last year," Lance said. "Everything's slower. Some of [the tape] is tough to watch because you see some of the dumb mistakes. But that's part of it. That's part of playing the position, that's part of being in my first year.
"There's going to be mistakes again this year, and for me it's about how I respond. It'll be easy to turn the page. And for the frustrating moments? I had them today, I have them every day. But I think how we respond, how I respond personally is what's most important."
Lance worked this offseason to correct his awkward grip, the result of overcompensating for the finger injury. He is finally healthy and has the benefit of practicing against what should be one of the best defenses in the NFL this season.
"I'm super blessed to be here," Lance added. "I was not expecting to get drafted as high as I got drafted onto a team like this, a Super Bowl contender team. So I'm thankful to be here."