Trey Lance has been playing for the San Francisco 49ers since 2021, but so far he has started just four games with a 2-2 record. He was injured last season, but now that he is healthy, there are still doubts about whether he will be the backup quarterback (QB2) or starter in the upcoming regular season.
However, Trey Lance still needs to be tested in a few preseason and regular season games to see if he is ready for the job. Although he didn’t play well in the first 2023 preseason game, that doesn’t necessarily mean he isn’t ready.
Kyle Shanahan has three options for the starting job: Brock Purdy, who is the best option for the upcoming season; Trey Lance; and Sam Darnold. It is not yet clear who will be QB2, but Darnold has played more minutes in the first preseason game so far.
What is the assumption that Kyle Shanahan has to prevent Trey Lance from being the starter?
According to what was published by Grant Cohn, there is an assumption that Kyle Shanahan is trying to prevent Trey Lance from being the starter. Cohn reported that Shanahan does not want Lance to be the starter, and that he is trying to sabotage Lance’s chances by putting him in difficult situations during the preseason. This was evident in the preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders, where Shanahan called multiple passing plays, which is not the 49ers’ usual offensive game plan.
Other analysts, such as JPAFootball, agree with Cohn’s assessment. They believe that Shanahan is trying to sabotage Lance by giving him a bad start to the preseason. This would allow Shanahan to justify keeping Sam Darnold as the backup.
