San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance could not travel with his teammates for the Week 3 contest against the Denver Broncos. He pleaded his case to do so, calling his head coach, Kyle Shanahan, the day after undergoing surgery to repair the fibula fracture and ligament disruption in his ankle sustained from the Week 2 injury. The swelling had not yet gone down, so Lance was forced to stay in the Bay Area.
In the days following his surgery on Monday, September 19, Lance joined team meetings via Zoom. Then, that Friday, he surprised his teammates by appearing in person for their team meeting.
"He's been in everything so far," Shanahan said before Wednesday's practice. "He was with us at the hotel on ... Sunday night. I'm not sure if he's allowed to go on this trip yet, but as soon as the medical [team] clears him to fly, he'll be going everywhere with us."
On Friday, the 49ers will set off on their two-game road trip. They will face the Carolina Panthers on Sunday and the Atlanta Falcons a week later. Between the two games, the team will be staying and practicing at The Greenbrier in West Virginia to stay acclimated to the East Coast timezone.
While it's unknown if Lance will get to travel with the 49ers, there is no doubt that he will make every effort to remain a part of the team as he recovers from his season-ending injury. That is vital to his growth and development as a player.
Shanahan added, "He hasn't missed a meeting yet. Just missing the practice stuff."