Trey Lance of the San Francisco 49ers is staying positive even though he’s lost first-string quarterback duties to 2022 rookie sensation Brock Purdy.
“Just taking it one day at a time,” Lance told reporters on Friday, as shared by David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. “I’m very present-mind focused. Every rep, one rep at a time, one day at a time, one meeting at a time. Whatever it is, I truly believe everything works out exactly how it’s supposed to. So as long as I control what I can control, that’s all I can worry about.”
Lance entered training camp last summer comfortably atop the depth chart but then suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2. That development coupled with Jimmy Garoppolo going down with a broken left foot in December opened the door for Purdy, who won all five of his regular-season starts and then guided the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game before he suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow during that contest.
Purdy was cleared to participate in practices before camp kicked off and is unofficially preparing to start the Week 1 matchup at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 10. As for Lance, the 2021 first-round draft pick still has just four career regular-season starts on his NFL résumé and may spend the preseason attempting to impress would-be suitors after there reportedly “was no trade market” for his services this offseason.
“The game has slowed down a lot,” Lance said about where he is now compared to where he was two Julys ago. “Just going to continue to get better, though. … It’s more my feet, honestly, than anything from the last couple of years. But, yeah, I don’t find myself liking to watch the mechanics side of the last couple of years’ reps. I feel like I’m in a much, much better place now, for sure.”
Purdy underwent surgery on March 10 and remains on a “pitch count,” meaning he hasn’t yet been fully cleared to face a live defense. For now, Lance must concentrate on beating free-agency signing Sam Darnold in a competition for the QB2 gig while knowing that either man could become the team’s starter if Purdy experiences a setback at any time.
