LISTEN: Why all positions (Except QB) Should Be In Play In The Draft →
placeholder image

Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports


49ers’ Nick Bosa thinks Trey Lance has the help he needs to win if he avoids mistakes

Jul 29, 2022 at 4:38 PM--


Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
The performance of quarterback Trey Lance has been a popular topic of conversation over the first few days of 49ers training camp, but defensive end Nick Bosa thinks the pieces are in place for Lance to succeed as long as he avoids big mistakes.

Lance and the other 49ers quarterbacks have thrown their share of interceptions over the past two practices, with Lance completing just 3-of-10 passes on Friday. Lance was encouraged about how the offense bounced back on Thursday, then told CBS Sports he was looking for the same thing on Friday, saying, "I'm kind of more worried, at this point, about how we respond. I thought it was a little bit sloppy today, for sure, on my end, but we're going to keep getting better."

Bosa and the defense have been responsible for some of the mistakes of the offense, but they'll be on Lance's side once the games start to count. For that reason, Bosa thinks Lance and the 49ers will be fine if Lance avoids costly mistakes on gameday.

"Our mindset is always the same as a defense, but I think he's in probably the best position he could be in as a first-year quarterback, with a defense like us and a good O-Line and a bunch of weapons -- (Brandon) Aiyuk, Deebo (Samuel) and George (Kittle), and everybody else," Bosa said. "So he's got all the help; he just needs to -- I mean, I'm not going to give him advice like I'm the QB coach -- but I think if he doesn't make big mistakes, we're going to be in good shape."

The biggest strength on defense comes up front with Bosa and the other linemen, which could be as good of a group the 49ers have had in recent memory.

"Extremely deep," Bosa said. "I think in '19 we obviously had a lot of stars, and last year we had a great year. But just the depth of starting caliber players is something I haven't seen yet with this team. And I think this secondary is playing as good as I've seen as well, which is going to make our job much easier."

Lance's practice performances will almost certainly continue to be the biggest storyline coming out of 49ers training camp, but neither he nor head coach Kyle Shanahan seem overly concerned at this point. Shanahan agreed on Friday that the previous day's practice was a positive despite the turnovers because his quarterbacks were playing without fear of mistakes, which is what he wants to see at this stage. He'd also would likely agree with Bosa about the rest of the team's ability to help Lance, as he said Friday he "probably" felt the roster was in the best place it's been at this point in camp of any 49ers team he's coached.

"Probably. I've probably said that before too," Shanahan said. "You usually do get there after OTAs and you're looking at stuff. You don't trick yourself, but you almost always feel that way as a coach. But when I look at our team and some of the good rosters we've had going in, I thought we had a lot of inexperience at wideout. I think that's kind of changed. I think our wideouts have been here now. I think we've got a real solid group -- probably as good of a group we've had since we've been here. I think we really improved out secondary in the offseason, just getting (Charvarius) Ward, having E-Man (Emmanuel Moseley) healthy, how good he looks right now, hopefully getting JV (Jason Verrett) back."

"The fact we had to play some rookies last year who weren't quite ready, but they still survived and got that experience, which will help this year and give us more depth than we had last year. We love our linebackers, love our D-Line. We've got some good tight ends, we've got some good backs, we've got some good O-Linemen, and we've got some inside guys on the O-Line and a quarterback who haven't played a lot. But we've got the team around them to help them and that's what I'm excited about."

Related News





Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News


placeholder image

Leonard Floyd eager to pair up with Nick Bosa along 49ers D-line

By David Bonilla
Mar 21

Leonard Floyd is eager to begin working with his new San Francisco 49ers coaches and teammates. In free agency, the team signed the former Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams pass rusher to line up opposite star defensive end Nick Bosa, providing a boost to a defensive front that was inconsistent in 2023. Floyd matched his career-high with 10.5 sacks last season with the Bills, a statistic that would have tied with Bosa for the 49ers' team-high in 2023. In a recent interview with team reporter Lindsey Pallares, Floyd was asked how he believes his skillset complements Bosa's. "I believe our skill sets will complement each other well," Floyd responded. "We both been guys who've


placeholder image

Why extending 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk needs to be a priority

By Bob Heyrman
Mar 23

Amid all the trade rumors, the San Francisco 49ers must prioritize extending star pass-catcher Brandon Aiyuk. Aiyuk, 26, is an ascending star who has yet to plateau heading into his fifth NFL season. The former Arizona St. product is coming off a stellar 2023 campaign, which saw Aiyuk haul in 75 receptions on 105 targets for a career-high 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns. Aiyuk also averaged a career-high 17.9 yards per reception and maintained a catch rate of 71.4%, both career-bests. The 49ers offense has a ton of mouths to feed, but each of their offensive weapons complement each other quite nicely. Much of the attention from opposing defenses is focused on running back Christian McCaffrey. When he's bottled up (which doesn't occur often), the 49ers have the


placeholder image

49ers Mock Draft 5.0: DB help added in first round

By Wayne P. Brown
Mar 23

The Pro Football Focus (PFF) Mock Draft Simulator was used to create this mock draft. In mock draft 5.0, I continued using the "best player available" model for the San Francisco 49ers. This week, the 49ers' position of need and value met in the first round. Round 1, Pick 31 CB, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama The 49ers have three defensive backs in the last years of their contracts. Charvarius Ward is a veteran in the last year of his deal with the team, and Deommodore Lenoir and Ambry Thomas are playing in the last year of their rookie contracts. Kool-Aid McKinstry is one of the best outside corners in the 2024 NFL Draft. McKinstry has excellent lateral agility, is strong in press-man coverage, and tackles well


placeholder image

Kyle Shanahan explains why 49ers promoted Nick Sorensen to defensive coordinator

By David Bonilla
Mar 26

After Steve Wilks's dismissal, the San Francisco 49ers had several options for their vacant defensive coordinator position. Although former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley was considered for the role, he ultimately joined the coaching staff as the assistant head coach under head coach Kyle Shanahan. He will focus on game plan preparations while offering his experience to the team. Nick Sorensen, the team's defensive pass game specialist, was awarded the defensive coordinator position. Shanahan opted for an internal candidate, valuing Sorensen's familiarity with the staff and the defensive system. When asked what qualities Sorensen demonstrated to prove he's ready to call plays for the defense, Shanahan explained, "He's worked with a lot of people


Latest

Trending News

Share 49ersWebzone