To call 2023 a "critical year" for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance seems like one of the most obvious statements one could make. The third-year quarterback has started just four games since the Niners made him the No. 3 overall pick in 2021. Lance entered this past season as the starter, but a Week 2 ankle injury changed the trajectory of his career.
Later in the season, rookie Brock Purdy emerged as a bona fide star, going 7-0 as a starter before suffering a torn ligament in his throwing arm in the NFC Championship Game.
Purdy faces a six-month recovery, possibly longer depending on the outcome of his February 22 surgery. That leaves Lance with an opportunity to prove himself once again. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, it may be crucial for the 22-year-old quarterback to do so.
"I think, really, as much as anything else, this is a critical year for Trey because [the 49ers have] got to make a decision on a fifth-year option after this year," Breer told 95.7 The Game's Damon Bruce and Ray Ratto on Friday. "And what history tells us is if you get past that point, you get past year three, and the fifth-year option hasn't been picked up, an extension hasn't been done, generally, those guys are on their last legs with the teams that they're with.
"So I think this is a critical year because of where he is in his contract. And I think this is a critical year in that if he doesn't deliver, and if Brock doesn't deliver, then they have to look at other options outside the organization because of how good their roster is.
"So I would say there's plenty of pressure on Trey, similar to the pressure, I think, that was on [QB] Tua [Tagovailoa] last year, going into the year where the Dolphins really loaded up around them and did a lot of things to accommodate to try to get answers on him. The difference is Trey is going to have to fight to get on the field, too. And I'd say, right now, he's going to have to fight his way past Brock Purdy, not the other way around."
Breer also believes that had Tom Brady been an option this offseason, the 49ers would have at least discussed the possibility. The team's roster is too stacked to risk any uncertainty at quarterback. That's what they have with Purdy, who will be coming off major surgery, and Lance, who still lacks experience.
Breer also expanded on his comments in this week's feature for Sports Illustrated, writing that Lance is "not as skilled a runner as the Niners had hoped."
"I think there's more that goes into being a great runner at that position than just speed, like how elusive is he?" Breer said. "Does he avoid contact when he needs to avoid contact? There's a lot of different things that go into being a really good runner from that position."
Breer calls having a quarterback capable of running a "catch-22." While it adds a different dynamic to the position, it also exposes a player to more hits than a typical pocket passer. The writer believes Lance's athleticism was a big reason why head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers preferred him over Mac Jones in the 2021 NFL Draft.
"Mac Jones could run Shanahan's offense," Breer explained. "Trey Lance could help them grow Shanahan's offense and change it and evolve it. And I think that part of it is what he can be athletically, what he can do athletically to threaten the defense.
"I just think that there are some things like that you hope he can work on and get better at."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Breer below.