The San Francisco 49ers had to shift their energy towards getting rookie quarterback Trey Lance ready for the Houston Texans in Week 17 following the injury update on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. It's still not clear whether it will be Garoppolo or Lance under center for the 49ers, though what's apparent is that the rookie signal-caller has made significant strides. Just ask 49ers linebacker Fred Warner, who provided the rookie with some advice that helped to spur his development.

This is awesome from 49ers linebacker Fred Warner on rookie Trey Lance. Warner felt that the rookie, who was working with the scout team earlier this year, was not only playing things too safe but that he was also not testing the defense enough!

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Warner saw the defense struggling on gameday and for the sake of the team, but also for Lance, pulled the rookie aside and told him to start taking more chances downfield. Now that's a team player.

Sure enough, Warner said that he started to see Lance, who he said relied on his legs too much at first, fitting throws into tight windows and making the right decisions more frequently. He saw a more confident version of Lance.

That's excellent news for the 49ers if Trey Lance is ultimately called upon to start.