The San Francisco 49ers, always among the league leaders in quarterback drama, have picked up close to where they left off this past season. This time, they have a novel two-track approach to their annual QB soap opera.
On one track is Brock Purdy, whose breakout season came crashing down in the NFC title game after a debilitating elbow injury. Purdy’s timeline to return has fluctuated quite a bit, ranging from “hope” he’d be ready by training camp to Purdy saying he’s “not really sure, honestly” if he’ll play this year. For their part, the Niners have remained optimistic, as general manager John Lynch called Purdy the presumptive starter earlier this year.
With Purdy on ice, there’s been plenty of drama on the second track. Maybe it’s not clear what job they’re competing for, but the two healthy quarterbacks left standing appear to be in a bona fide QB competition.
At first, it sounded like Sam Darnold was gaining serious favor. Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters earlier this month that the 25-year-old was “an unbelievable thrower” and said this was the best situation Darnold has ever been in for his career. For anyone who had ever seen Darnold play in the NFL, it seemed like a bit of a sales job considering his struggles with the Jets and Panthers.
But Trey Lance is getting played up too. “I think Trey’s the best we’ve had him right now,” Shanahan said two weeks ago. Last week, The Athletic dropped a piece about how Lance had improved his mechanics by working with Patrick Mahomes’ private coach, who fawned over the former No. 3 pick.
Then on Tuesday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported what other teams thought of Darnold.
“They believe that Darnold is going to push for meaningful snaps with this team as early as Week 1,” Fowler said in a “SportsCenter” spot. “They believe that his major talent has gone largely untapped. Maybe the 49ers can bring something out of him.”
Organized team activities began this week, though, and along with that came video of Lance’s new throwing mechanics — and the fact that Lance was getting the starter reps. Shanahan played that down, pointing out that the “first-team” snaps were close to irrelevant because the receivers were backups and the offensive line wasn’t out there. The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami wasn’t buying it.
“Shanahan said there isn’t much meaning in Lance getting the first-team reps this week and for pure football reasons, I get that,” he wrote. “Darnold will get his turns. But first-teams always mean something, even if it’s mostly symbolism.”
What exactly all this symbolizes might not matter much, though. Shanahan also told reporters Tuesday not only that Purdy would start throwing next week but that he could be ready for the start of the season.
“We’re hoping for Week 1, and we feel pretty optimistic about that,” Shanahan said. “… Usually, that doesn’t mean that’s the day he comes back. Usually, you gotta come before that to make that goal, and that’s kind of the goal we’re hoping for and don’t have any reason to think differently.”
Until Purdy is fully healthy, every update is just a new shiny thing to dangle in front of NFL fans. And to be fair, object permanence has never been a requirement for following the 49ers.
