San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch, speaking with reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday, provided an update on quarterback Trey Lance. The quarterback entered the 2022 season as the team's starter but suffered a season-ending right ankle injury during Week 2 on September 18.
Lance underwent two surgeries. The first was to repair two injuries to his ankle, a fibula fracture and ligament disruption. The quarterback underwent another surgery in December to remove the hardware inserted into his ankle.
Lance reportedly started throwing this past weekend and expects to be full-go for organized team activities (OTAs) in May.
"He's doing really well," Lynch told reporters. "I feel like I tell you this all the time, but when I'm in my office—I've got a nice view; I'm on the second floor—I've got a nice view of the field. So I get reports, obviously, but my eyes tell me a lot. And I'm watching Trey out there taking drops each day. I don't see a limp. It's not to say he's 100 percent, but he's really recovering well and doing a really nice job.
"And so he did start the throwing here recently. Trey's rehabbing extremely well. He did have that secondary procedure. It wasn't really a setback. One of the plates was kind of given some interference with some of the tendons—stuff above my head. But they took care of it, and he seems to be doing really well, and we're happy for him."
San Francisco made Lance the No. 3 overall draft pick in 2021. He has started just four NFL games since, completing 54.9 percent of his passes for five touchdowns and three interceptions. Lance has also rushed for 235 yards and a score.
Lynch and the 49ers don't regret trading a haul of draft capital to move up to acquire Lance, who still lacks experience as he enters his third NFL season.
"Trey brings a lot to the table," Lynch explained. "I think first of all, you talk [of] his makeup, of his character, who he is as a person. We really believed in that, and we're probably even stronger on that. He does bring kind of that dual capacity, where we felt like he could be a pocket passer, but also add another dimension as a runner.
"I think his biggest thing, we just got to find a way [to get him reps]. And I've had a lot of conversations with Trey. Early in my career, [I] struggled to stay healthy, and I hit an eight-year stretch where I didn't miss a snap. So sometimes you just got to go through the rough patches and he's got to play, and that's the biggest challenge.
"We got a team that's ready to go now. He's got to get out there and play. [QB] Brock [Purdy] got that opportunity this year. He grabbed it. He did great things. We'll see, at some point, how we get Trey that opportunity because we very much believe in who he is as a person and who he is as a quarterback."
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