Sam Darnold opens up about learning 49ers offense

Quarterback Sam Darnold joined the third NFL team of his career when he signed with the San Francisco 49ers in March and recently opened up about learning a new offense. 

“Yeah, it’s been a work in progress,” Darnold told Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area while attending “Tight End University” with teammates George Kittle and Trey Lance, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “I thought I got better throughout camp and just got more comfortable with the system, so still got to study and go through the process of continuing to learn the system. But I’m excited for it, and it’s been really fun so far.” 

Darnold officially signed with the 49ers shortly after 2022 rookie sensation Brock Purdy underwent surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow he suffered during the NFC Championship Game in January. The 49ers expect to have a healthy Purdy in the lineup for their Week 1 game at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 10, but either Darnold or Lance could be needed for at least that contest if Purdy experiences some setback this summer. 

Darnold missed the opening half of last season due to an ankle issue and was limited to just six games with the Carolina Panthers. The 26-year-old completed 82-of-140 passes (58.6%) for 1,143 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. 

“These last couple of weeks, I’ve been doing [physical therapy], working out a little bit,” Darnold added about his preparations ahead of reporting for training camp on July 25, according to David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. “But going to start ramping it up here this next week and get going so I’m ready for camp.”

Last month, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that he believes Darnold “has the edge going into camp” over Lance to serve as Purdy’s primary backup. Schefter added at that time that “there was no trade market” regarding Lance’s services this offseason.