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On Tuesday, NFL insider Ian Rapport, one of the NFL's most plugged-in reporters, made headlines declaring that, given the situation with the San Francisco 49ers,
Sam Darnold would be the team's most likely Week 1 starting quarterback.
"
We do not know what Trey Lance is going to be if he continues the trajectory that he's been on," Ian Rapoport said on NFL Network. "And I think, certainly, it seems Sam Darnold will more likely than not be the starter going into the season, but there is an opportunity for someone to step in there and start [the] first couple of games of the regular season for the 49ers."
Lance, the No. 3 overall draft pick in 2021, and Darnold, added this month via free agency, are expected to share practice reps this offseason. That could turn into a battle to be the 49ers' Week 1 starter. The quarterback Lynch called the "
leader in the clubhouse,"
Brock Purdy, may not be available until early September at the soonest.
"
It might be Week 1," head coach Kyle Shanahan said this week. "I think I'm hearing, at the latest, Week 4. But that's just all estimations, and we'll see what happens."
One of Rapoport's NFL Network colleagues, David Carr, also believes it might be Darnold, not Lance, on the field with the starters come Week 1.
"
Trey Lance is still unproven in this league," Carr said on-air. "And so you insert Sam Darnold, who I think belongs in this system. I've actually been saying for the last couple of years [that] he would be great in a system like this.
"He finds himself with a great football team. I would even argue that he might have a little bit more ability than Brock Purdy. Although Brock again played great, fantastic as a rookie, I think Sam has a little more down-the-field ability and a lot of the same ability to move, ability to buy time, delegate the football.
"[Darnold] had a good year last year. He's going to enter this thing with a lot of reps. Trey is unproven. Sam is kind of proven in this league. So I think it's going to be very interesting. I wouldn't be surprised if Sam starts Week 1 and then Brock kind of comes in and does kind of what he did last year."
The analyst notes that Shanahan has a lot of confidence in his team and play-calling ability. Carr adds that the coach believes he can win with any of his three quarterbacks, suggesting they might be somewhat interchangeable in Shanahan's mind.
"I've talked to Kyle in the last few weeks, and you could just feel that," Carr said. "You can hear him in the press conferences, when he talks at the owners' meetings, he's like, 'No, I think this is going to be fun. This is the situation that we found ourselves in.'"
Purdy is recovering from March 10 surgery to repair the tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow, an injury suffered against the Philadelphia Eagles during the NFC Championship Game. The quarterback finished his rookie regular season completing 67.1 percent of his passes for 1,374 yards with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions after replacing an injured Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13.
Purdy added 569 passing yards with three touchdowns in the playoffs but only managed four passing attempts in the NFC title game because of the injury.
"Brock played excellent football," Carr added. "Me and [Brian Baldinger] were talking about his ability. They plugged him in and didn't lose a game until he got knocked out against Philly. He played very well."
After last season, Brian Griese took some time to reflect on his first season as a quarterbacks coach for the San Francisco 49ers. He left a 13-season career as a television analyst to join head coach Kyle Shanahan's staff.
Ultimately, the coach decided that the job was fulfilling and opted to return for another season.
"This is an opportunity for me to embrace a new challenge in my life at this point in the journey, and I really appreciate that," Griese told reporters on Thursday. "I appreciate the opportunity. I think there are some experiences and unique skill sets that I have that can help, and I just love being a part of a team and competing and winning and
What happens if Sam Darnold beats out Trey Lance? We're answering this question and others in this week's edition of the 49ers Webzone Mailbag.
It's week two of OTAs, and the 49ers will have a session open to the media on Wednesday. It may even be happening as you're reading this. And Brock Purdy is believed to start throwing a ball this week (though probably not a regular football).
But for now, ignore those reports, and let's jump into our latest mailbag and answer your questions.
Who's starting on Opening Day at FS? - Chris W.
The 49ers re-signed veteran free safety Tashaun Gipson to a one-year deal and drafted Penn State safety Ji'Ayir Brown back in April. Brown is the future starting free safety. That future is most likely to
Could Aaron Rodgers' miserable playoff luck against the San Francisco 49ers continue even after leaving the Green Bay Packers for the New York Jets? NFL.com's Adam Schein believes so. With the 2023 NFL season still 100 days away, the columnist made nine bold predictions, including head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers finally earning the franchise's coveted sixth championship.
Schein has the 49ers beating the Jets in Super Bowl 58, which will be played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
"The 49ers are the best roster in the NFL, 2-53," Schein explained. "They just need to find that No. 1. Who's poised to man the game's
A somewhat bigger-than-necessary deal was made last week when reporters saw San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance taking the first-team reps in the first practice of organized team activities (OTAs) open to reporters.
After the practice, head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked what, if anything, could be concluded from that.
"It'll even out," Shanahan assured reporters. "We'll make sure to get that right."
The coach made a point to add, "And the first-team is kind of funny because there's no [offensive] line out there. Most of our receivers are second- and third-team on the first-team today, so I'm curious what everyone thinks first- and second- and third-team is."
The 49ers also made Wednesday's practice open to reporters as the team