Let the rumor mill start spinning.
Less than an hour after NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reported that Sam Darnold has been picked as the 49ers QB2 to begin the season, Trey Lance was conspicuously absent from Wednesday’s practice in Santa Clara.
95.7 The Game’s John Dickinson was on the practice field and noted how Brock Purdy was backed up by Darnold and Brandon Allen, and that Lance was nowhere to be seen.
Lance made it through Tuesday’s practice seemingly without issue and the media won’t speak to 49ers coaches until Friday, so we’ll have to speculate until then. But Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group reported that both Shanahan general manager John Lynch were on the fields, so they weren’t working the phones about a trade.
Still, that’s where the first guess lands – the 49ers are trying to keep Lance healthy in an effort to maintain his trade value. Otherwise, we have to assume Lance suffered an injury Tuesday that held him out of Wednesday’s practice.
Suddenly, Friday’s preseason finale holds a lot more weight, as we’ll have to see if Lance suits up to face the Chargers or stays on the sidelines to avoid injury. Until Wednesday, Lance has yet to miss a practice in training camp.
The QB drama never stops with the Niners and the latest twist certainly adds a lot of intrigue. Lance only has eight games (four starts) since being drafted No. 3 overall, but perhaps another team will be interested in developing the 23-year-old as the 49ers go all-in on Purdy and let Darnold settle into a backup role.
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