The San Francisco 49ers and quarterback drama go hand in hand. At least, that has been the case since Kyle Shanahan became the head coach in 2017. Could things be turning around for an organization that has recently struggled to identify a franchise quarterback? Could last year's final overall draft pick, Brock Purdy, be that guy?
We don't know. Not yet, at least. The 2023 season could answer that question. For now, we'll have to wait and see.
One thing we do know is that a healthy Purdy will be the 49ers' starting quarterback. The team's decision-makers have declared that the second-year quarterback has earned that right with his impressive rookie 2022 campaign.
Of course, Purdy is still recovering from offseason surgery. The 49ers remain optimistic that he will be ready to go for Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. ESPN's Jeff Darlington believes Purdy will be out there on September 10 with his teammates.
Who will be Purdy's backup? Will it be Trey Lance or Sam Darnold?
"Who cares?" Darlington told Rich Eisen on Monday, much to the host's surprise.
Lance versus Darnold has been one of the more prevalent 49ers-related offseason storylines. The team traded a lot to acquire Lance in 2021. What would it mean for the organization if the former No. 3 overall pick dropped to QB3 on the depth chart?
From the franchise's perspective, Darlington is unconcerned.
"I feel like the 49ers, though, have really gotten to the point, too, where they recognize they can't think about the draft capital they spent on Trey Lance anymore," Darlington told Eisen. "They cannot let that dictate their decision."
Purdy saved the 49ers' season in 2022. Watching starter Lance go down in Week 2 and then Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13, many felt the losses at the most important position in the game were too much to overcome. The No. 262 overall pick didn't just step in and play adequately enough. He was last season's biggest surprise rookie, helping guide the team all the way to the NFC Championship Game before suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow.
Darlington is among the many Shanahan fans and believes the head coach will eventually get his Super Bowl win. However, this offseason's narrative might have been different had Purdy floundered.
"What happens if the 'Mr. Irrelevant' last pick in the NFL draft does not turn out to be this actually really adequate, really good starter last year?" Darlington asks. "What kind of team do they end up being in that final second half of that season? And is ownership then looking at Kyle and [GM] John [Lynch] saying, 'Trey Lance, you picked him. He's not the guy, and we don't have anybody behind him.'
"I mean talk about revisionist history. Brock Purdy really saved the 49ers organization from a really, really dramatic offseason."
As for Lance, Darlington is unconvinced that the 49ers have a lot of faith in the third-year player's ability to eventually earn back his starting job.
"I trust that the 49ers organization has seen him more than any of us have," he said. "They're not exactly talking like he's about to take over the starting job, while their other quarterback, who was the last pick in the draft, is in Jacksonville, rehabbing an elbow injury."