San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance hasn't performed especially well so far during the NFL preseason. Lance, who was expected to be San Francisco's starting QB in 2022 but suffered an early-season injury, still has a high-ceiling. Marcus Spears of ESPN, however, seems to already be giving up hope on the young quarterback, per First Take on Twitter.
“They (49ers) got a terrible situation on their hands with Trey Lance,” Spears said. “This may go down as one of the worst trades in the draft in the history of the NFL.”
Spears also said he expects Brock Purdy to be the starting QB when healthy, and questioned why San Francisco did not originally try to draft Justin Fields (who ultimately went to the Chicago Bears) instead of Lance.
49ers' QB situation
Trey Lance and Brock Purdy are both talented players. Purdy wasn't much of a prospect heading into the NFL but has emerged as a reliable QB option. Meanwhile, Lance was expected by many to be a star. The fact is that he still can find his footing and become a quality player in the league. It's too early to give up on him.
That said, Lance hasn't provided much reason for hope amid his underwhelming play. Still, he's coming off an injury-plagued 2022 season, something that may be playing a role in his preseason frustrations.
The other option is Sam Darnold. Darnold, a veteran QB, was added to the roster to provide extra depth. The decision made plenty of sense after Jimmy Garoppolo, Lance, and Purdy all dealt with injuries at some point last season. The 49ers don't want to not have a QB in the playoffs if they deal with a numerous amount of injuries again.
The 49ers would still likely prefer to have Lance figure things out and earn the QB1 role. For now, though, San Francisco is dealing with a very uncertain situation.