You can spend a long time debating the implications of John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan’s words on the quarterback situation at the NFL owners meetings last week.
But one thing is certain, this is not the position most expected Trey Lance to be in when he began the 2022 campaign as the 49ers’ starting quarterback.
Lance will start his preparations for the 2023 campaign facing a fight, and likely an uphill battle, to reclaim the starting job following Brock Purdy’s emergence down the stretch in 2022.
Depending on when Purdy is cleared to return from elbow ligament surgery, Lance may face a competition with last year’s seventh-round pick in training camp for the right to be QB1.