A year ago, Trey Lance entered the preseason secure in the knowledge that he was the San Francisco 49ers' starting quarterback. He knew his exhibition snaps would be limited as the team prepared for the regular season. Lance's backups were Jimmy Garoppolo, the former starter, and Brock Purdy, the last overall pick in the draft.
Things have certainly changed over the past year.
Garoppolo is with the Las Vegas Raiders, and Lance is battling Sam Darnold for the QB2 job. Now, Purdy is the starter. What happened? It all started in Week 2 when Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury. Then Garoppolo went down in Week 13, opening the door for Purdy to grab hold of the starting role.
Despite suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow in the NFC Championship Game, Purdy never let go.
On Monday, head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated that his starters were unlikely to see action in the 49ers' first preseason game, Sunday's matchup against the Raiders. That's because the two teams will hold joint practices together on Thursday and Friday.
"Usually, when we go scrimmage against guys, I rarely play our starters (in the game)," Shanahan said. "That's usually my plan going into it because I'm a little more into the practices than the games. But I've changed my mind a couple of times, too, based off how those practices go. Usually, that's the plan, but we'll see how these practices go."
The coach doubted Purdy would play on Sunday but left the door open for the recovering quarterback to appear in another preseason game. That means Lance will have an opportunity to prove he's greatly improved since the 49ers made him the No. 3 overall pick in 2021.
In Eric Edholm's recent NFL power rankings for NFL.com, the writer has the 49ers listed at No. 3, with only the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles ranked higher. He believes the focus will be on Lance this preseason.
"Preseason games will draw many eyes to Trey Lance as his career hits an early flashpoint, with Brock Purdy working his way back from elbow surgery and Sam Darnold and Brandon Allen in the mix," wrote Edholm. "The 49ers figure to be extra cautious with Purdy until the regular season starts. A year ago, Mr. Irrelevant was on the outside looking in, out-snapping Lance and Nate Sudfeld in pursuit of a roster spot. Now the tables have turned. Lance figures to get ample preseason run, and stacking some strong performances could help regain trust if he's called on when games count."
Lance naysayers will also note that a strong preseason from the young quarterback could help the 49ers. He might attract some interest from other teams, who might be willing to trade for Lance, leaving San Francisco with Purdy, Darnold, and Brandon Allen.
If that's the case, the 49ers must decide what is more valuable. Is it an improved Lance or the draft picks they might recoup for the third-year quarterback?