Everyone seems to be keeping an eye on the 49ers quarterback situation this summer, including former San Francisco coach Steve Mariucci.
Mooch joined 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” Tuesday from his vacation in Montana to give his latest thoughts on the Niners’ QB situation, in particular Trey Lance.
After watching Lance look indecisive and take four sacks in the first half of Sunday’s preseason opener against the Raiders behind the second-string offensive line, Mariucci came away unimpressed.
“He went 3-and-out three times in a row (to start the game) and he did look uncomfortable to me,” Mariucci told hosts Mark Willard and John Dickinson (filling in for Dan Dibley). “He looked like he was hanging on to the ball a little bit and not making good decisions when he was working through his progression. Ball security wasn’t great. He just looked very, very rusty.”
Mariucci also knows that the 49ers’ decision won’t come solely because of the handful of drives he’ll conduct this preseason.
“It was a bad day at the office for him. I’m rooting for the guy,” Mariucci said. “Lance’s evaluation has been going on for a couple years now. They know what kind of smarts he has, they know what kind of leadership he has and they know what kind of athleticism he has. It’s not just based off those series he had in one game.”
The 49ers are all in on Brock Purdy as QB1 this season and are letting Lance and free-agent veteran signee Sam Darnold compete for the QB2 spot. San Francisco will play their final two preseason games over the next 10 days and Mariucci said it will be a crucial judgment period for the coaching staff. Mariucci said he wouldn’t be surprised if Darnold gets the start and Lance comes off the bench Saturday against the Denver Broncos, in a flip-flopping of roles from Sunday.
“Maybe they keep three quarterbacks,” Mariucci said. “Maybe the battle is for No. 2. If Brock Purdy again, it’s gonna be very interesting. There’s a lot on the line in these two games for those two kids, Sam and Trey.”
Last week, Mariucci told The Rich Eisen Show that he thinks the 49ers could end up trading Lance at some point. Lance’s 2023 $9.3 million cap hit is paltry compared to most NFL starting quarterbacks, but it’s still much higher than the cap hits for Darnold ($5.7 million) or Purdy ($889,000).
While the 49ers would obviously love to see Lance play well for the health of their own football team, the 23-year-old could also be an intriguing trade chip if he shows he can handle the starting role.
“They want him to show better, just for Trey’s sake, for his value’s sake,” Mariucci said. “It’s gotta happen.”
No matter who wins the QB2 competition, Mariucci believes the 49ers are in a unique position with their quarterback room. After all four of their quarterbacks got injured last season, the Niners are stacking depth.
“I think the 49ers have three guys that are capable of starting for this football team, which is very unusual in the National Football League,” Mariucci said. “Teams are hoping to have one guy and hoping the backup might be serviceable.”
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