The Trey Lance critics won't like the reports coming out of Santa Clara today. Or maybe they'll just chalk it up to being an anomaly. Regardless, those on hand for the San Francisco 49ers' first padded training camp practice all expressed similar analysis of the third-year quarterback—Monday may have been Lance's best practice of training camp so far.
Below are some of the takeaways from reporters who watched the session.
Trey Lance had a strong day of camp, going 9-11 in team drills and setting up a 55-yard Jake Moody field goal in a move-the-ball drill. It was a nice mix of short and medium-long competitions for Lance.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) July 31, 2023
As said before, Trey Lance was the best quarterback today, hitting 8/10 passes including a few downfield throws.
But, a solid, solid day for the QBs, especially at the end.#49wz
— Rohan Chakravarthi (@RohanChakrav) July 31, 2023
Instant analysis of Day 5 of #49ers training camp. pic.twitter.com/BzHeKNsSsN
— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) July 31, 2023
Trey Lance had his best day of training camp today. By far.
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) July 31, 2023
Trey Lance was on point at practice today. He delivered the ball with decisiveness and precision.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) July 31, 2023
That might've been Trey Lance's best practice with the 49ers — of all 3 training camps. He finished 9-of-11; accuracy was on point. Perfect pass to Tay Martin through tight coverage to finish the session and set up a field goal in move-the-ball (which was introduced with pads)
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) July 31, 2023
That's good news for the former No. 3 overall pick, who is looking to assert himself as a lead candidate for the QB2 job, behind likely starter Brock Purdy. And with Purdy still easing his way back to a full workload after offseason surgery, Lance is looking to take advantage of every opportunity.
"It's been a lot of fun," Lance told reporters last week. "Just trying to take advantage of all the reps I can get, working with all the guys, and it's been a ton of fun just to be able to be back out there and have our full [quarterback] room back. It's been a ton of fun."
The quarterback's efforts have not gone unnoticed by team decision-makers.
"I think he's throwing the football a lot better," general manager John Lynch shared ahead of Monday's practice. "His base is better, some of his mechanics are better. Those things are showing up on the field. So I'm not just proud of him for his attitude and his leadership, his resiliency. I'm proud for what I'm seeing out there."
