There is a lot of attention being heaped on the 49ers quarterback situation and it’s not just the Bay Area tuning in.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter made an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show Wednesday, and Niners quarterbacks Brock Purdy and Trey Lance were the first topic of conversation.
Purdy said he was rusty to begin training camp last week, but his coaches and front office are happy with what they’re seeing, according to Schefter. This, despite some reports out of Santa Clara that aren’t too rosy for Purdy, who returned from offseason elbow surgery about a month earlier than initial estimates.
“I saw some people the first couple days saying, ‘Brock Purdy didn’t look particularly sharp, didn’t look great,’” Schefter said. “I called up a couple of people at the 49ers and they’re like, ‘What are they talking about? He looked good. They don’t know what they’re watching.’ I was like, ‘OK I’m just telling you that’s the report out there.’ I can tell you that they’re happy with Brock Purdy.”
The 49ers QB fervor hasn’t died down yet through camp. Without preseason games, we have resorted to making judgments on unofficial snap counts and stats, even though the majority of sessions have been held without pads and there’s been zero full-contact tackling.
“If he’s healthy, (Purdy)’s gonna be the guy,” Schefter said. “It was never a question. Right now, all indications are that he’s doing very well and he’s coming along the way they want.”
So, what about Trey Lance?
The former No. 3 overall pick finds himself in a QB2 competition with Sam Darnold so far in camp, as the two have been splitting second-team reps. Schefter said it’s too early to make any speculation about Lance and his future just yet.
“I’m not going to overreact to a couple of throws on social media where he’s a little bit off,” Schefter said. “I could tell you that they felt like he had as good an offseason as he’s had, and he’s more prepared than he’s ever been. …
“We live in a very reactionary world, Pat. People want to rush and make judgments right away. Trey Lance is trending the right way. … If Trey Lance flops in the preseason games, then we’ll talk about this in a different way. We’ll assess it a different way. Let’s see how he does in the preseason before making any real judgments on the guy.”
While many have pointed at Darnold’s free agent signing as an indictment of Lance, Schefter thinks it was a depth move.
“They really are impressed with Sam Darnold. As I said to you the last time, I thought Sam Darnold was in a great spot to be the No. 2 quarterback. So, where does that leave Trey Lance? It leaves him for an organization that has gone through quarterbacks the way that you and I go through underwear. They need a lot of them. So they wanna have him ready.”
Then again, Lance also gives the 49ers another avenue to acquire future draft capital, if he ends up buried on the depth chart.
“Maybe for the trade deadline, if he’s coming along – could somebody inquire about him?” Schefter said. “Quarterbacks are currency. They want to bring him along.”
