Trey Lance saw his sophomore season cut short after suffering an ankle fracture in Week 2. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback missed the rest of the campaign which was a huge blow to his development in what's inarguably the most demanding position in football.

However, the lower leg injury wasn't the only thing that held the Niners QB back. Lance was reportedly “severely limited” by a hairline fracture on his right index finger he suffered back in 2021 that “did not heal properly”, revealed 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area:

“He spent a whole year throwing without a bent finger which changed everything and shows the toughness of the kid that he never complained about it,” Shanahan said. “He tried to adjust so he could be out there.”

The issue reportedly forced him to adjust his throwing grip entirely. With Trey Lance already considered a project wielding an unrefined passing game, that's a massive blow when trying to adapt to the big leagues.

Lance powered through the hairline fracture at a time, but the injury that ended up wiping his season appears to have progressed smoothly.

“He was able to get such a better base in these last two months that I think Trey is the best that we’ve (seen) him right now,” Shanahan said. “Yeah, we got to get into OTAs and practice, but when you watch his feet, his timing, how he’s throwing the ball, he’s in such a better place now than he was last year at this time.”

Trey Lance is in Year 3 and once again finds himself as QB2 on the 49ers depth chart. With a clean bill of health going