San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have stated that Trey Lance's ankle injury in September was a season-ender since the injury occurred. Lynch reaffirmed that this morning on KNBR while adding that the team has been impressed with the quarterback's recovery. Unfortunately, it's just a bit much to expect Lance to return to the field this season.
"He'll be fine long-term, but that's a big ask to get back this year," Lynch said.
That didn't stop a reporter from asking Shanahan about the possibility ahead of today's practice. Could Lance return to serve as Jimmy Garoppolo's backup if the 49ers embarked on a deep playoff run?
"I haven't been told there's a chance," Shanahan responded. "I think things would have to be pretty drastic. I mean, we weren't expecting that much from the beginning. I think he's right on schedule with everything, but I have not been told there's a chance."
Shanahan noted that Lance is out of his protective boot, as fans saw on Monday night in Mexico City. However, the quarterback isn't even running yet, so to expect him to be ready to potentially play in January is a stretch.
"He's not going real hard at it yet," Shanahan said.
The coach added that it was great having Lance travel with the team to Colorado last week and then to Mexico City for Monday night's game.
"So him being in every meeting and being able to go all those places with us, and have him on the [Sunday] night meeting before the game so we can do over all the third downs and red zone stuff," Shanahan said. "Now, he's preparing like he's playing except for everything on the field."
A reporter also asked Shanahan about defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, who has been on injured reserve since October 15 due to a setback in his reconstructed knee. The 49ers are about to kick off three consecutive games at Levi's Stadium. Does that increase the likelihood that Kinlaw could return during that home stretch?
"Yeah, any time we don't fly, it definitely helps him," Shanahan responded. "So yeah, that does help."