It has not taken long for Trey Lance to start impressing his new teammates.
While the San Francisco 49ers first-round pick is not expected to start the season as the team’s Week 1 quarterback, Lance has certainly instilled some early confidence in his teammates for whenever the time comes for his number to be called.
NBC Sports’ Peter King was recently at Niners camp and spoke with head coach Kyle Shanahan, who said some players have approached him to laud the rookie quarterback.
Listen to Bay Area sports talk now on Audacy and shop the latest 49ers team gear
“We’re on the practice field now and you’re a first-round pick so everyone’s looking at you,” Shanahan told King. “Your new team wants to see your talent level, which he has, but they also want to see how he carries himself. I think that’s what they’ve been impressed with. He doesn’t know everything yet. He’s still trying.
“…But Deebo Samuel comes up to me at one point, and he’s like, ‘This guy’s got some balls.’ And I think that’s what the guys feel. He goes out there and he’s not scared to fail. He goes out there and lets it rip, and there’s some good, some bad. Players can feel it. When you’re not scared to fail and you’re talented, you do things the right way, guys believe it’s a matter of time.”
Shanahan has already made it clear that Jimmy Garoppolo is the QB1 but there will certainly be growing pressure to play Lance if he continues to impress or if Garoppolo struggles.
“In this business, if you’re trying to plan out the next six months and say, ‘Where’s it going?’ that’s a mistake,” Shanahan said. “You can’t do it. What I told Jimmy right when we made the trade is, ‘I don’t know any rookie who can come and beat you out if you’re playing at his best self. I didn’t necessarily think he was there last year at training camp…But right now I see him playing well out there.
“If he can continue to go that way, that’s great for Trey. That’s great for our team. Then Trey can wait till he’s at his best self, which doesn’t happen overnight.”
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram