Steve Young joined KNBR on Wednesday to discuss the Super Bowl and the end of the 2022 NFL season. Of course, you can't speak with the Hall of Fame quarterback without discussing the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback situation. Everyone was anticipating an intriguing battle between the team's breakout rookie, Brock Purdy, and the former No. 3 overall pick, Trey Lance.
Purdy's injury in the NFC Championship Game, a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow, changed the storyline. Coming off a season-ending ankle injury suffered in Week 2, Lance is the team's healthiest quarterback under contract and expects to be full-go for organized team activities (OTAs) in May.
Young acknowledges that both quarterbacks bring different things to Kyle Shanahan's offense, creating an interesting dilemma for the head coach and the 49ers.
Before his injury, most figured Purdy would be the frontrunner for the starting quarterback next season. However, now, Purdy is expected to miss about six months, potentially returning in August. That leaves Lance with an opportunity to prove himself during the offseason, and do so uncontested.
Can Purdy still be the guy in Santa Clara?
"Well, Brock can get some yards. Kirk Cousins can go get yards," Young said on the Tolbert & Copes show. "If you understand the game, there's a lot to go get. There's throws that the big boys have and do, and they're part of the game and they're threats. But limitations don't limit the upside, the upside of the team. Kyle can figure out ways to use his best capabilities."
Young acknowledges that everyone has limitations but believes in Shanahan's ability to get the best out of his players by highlighting their strengths and hiding their weaknesses.
"And so he's not going to be able to throw the ball 70 yards," Young continued. "He's not going to be able to run away from people. But he's nifty and gritty, and let's lean into that."
What about Lance? The quarterback turned ESPN analyst believes Shanahan needs to—and probably wants to—do something very different with the dynamic quarterback under center.
"And then Trey's game, that offense is going to look different because he needs to have the Nick Sirianni offense. The RPOs, five things you can do out of one play, put pressure on people. You can go to the bubble screen, go to fade, you can go to the near run, you can keep it. And defense goes, 'What's happening? I don't know what's going on.'
"And so what the problem is, is the offense they're going to run for Brock is not necessarily going to be the offense that's best for Trey. And that'll be kind of an interesting kind of dilemma. But if anyone—you know how I feel about Kyle—he'll figure it out."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Young below.