Cowboys will be ‘great landing spot’ for Lance, says 49ers GM John Lynch

From @ToddBrock24f7: Calling the former 1st-rounder’s story “still very much unwritten” but saying “circumstances took hold,” Lynch wished Lance well in Dallas.

The San Francisco 49ers gave up a total of four draft picks- including three first-round selections- just to get Trey Lance just two years ago.

Now the man atop their football organization admits they whiffed badly.

Just hours after completing a trade to send the North Dakota State product to Dallas, 49ers general manager John Lynch appeared on the broadcast of the team’s preseason finale and addressed the failed Lance experiment.

“Such a wonderful young man,” Lynch said of the 23-year-old, the third overall pick in 2021. “We took a shot, and it didn’t work out. We own that. We take accountability for it. But I think … his story is still very much unwritten. I’m excited for Trey. Dallas stepped up and really wanted him, and they came after him. And I think it’s going to be a great landing spot for him.”

Lance will presumably be one of three quarterbacks on the Cowboys roster, backing up Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush until he gets comfortable enough with the offense to challenge Rush for the QB2 job.

Will Grier has already been informed by the Cowboys that he won’t be part of the team’s plans past their preseason closer versus Las Vegas on Saturday night.

Lance leaves San Francisco as a bust, but one who never got much of a chance to succeed. Over two seasons with the 49ers, he appeared in just eight games and attempted a total of 102 passes.

“I can tell everybody, it wasn’t for lack of effort on Trey’s part, or on our part, that it didn’t work. Circumstances took hold, and he struggled through injuries, and this team’s ready to win.”

Two injuries, really.

First, a broken finger suffered in his rookie season lingered all year. It never healed properly and forced him to change his grip on the football.

Then a fibula fracture and ligament disruption that sidelined him last year during Week 2 cost Lance the remainder of the season, and ultimately, as it turns out, his spot with the team. The 49ers turned to Jimmy Garoppolo for 10 starts; he then gave way to Brock Purdy, whose Cinderella story came to an end in the NFC Championship.

Now Purdy is the starter in San Francisco. Sam Darnold and Brandon Allen are behind him. Garoppolo is a Raider, and Lance was suddenly the odd man out.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

Lance underwent two surgeries on that right ankle: the first in September to repair the damage, and a second in late December to remove the hardware from the earlier procedure.

The Minnesota-born Lance was fully rehabbed to start 49ers camp, but was reportedly inconsistent, especially in the short-yardage passing game.

It’s hoped that a change of scenery and some time spent working under Mike McCarthy, who helped develop Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre, and Joe Montana, just might provide Lance a second chance in the NFL.

“We wish Trey all the best in Dallas,” Lynch said. “We’ll always care about that young man and admire his work ethic and the person that he is.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=video id=01h8jbtftn84rs9fsf8a playlist_id=01eqbwens7sctqdrqg player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01h8jbtftn84rs9fsf8a/01h8jbtftn84rs9fsf8a-b0f22a69646e53324cf5005373ca901c.jpg]

[lawrence-newsletter]