In a move that felt rather inevitable, the San Francisco 49ers have settled their backup quarterback battle. Brock “Mr. Irrelevant” Purdy will obviously be the starter, and backing him up will be former Jets and Panthers starter Sam Darnold.
The 49ers signed Darnold back in March as Purdy underwent surgery to repair his damaged UCL, and now he has solidified his role with San Francisco.
The #49ers are naming Sam Darnold their No. 2 quarterback and the team is exploring options with Trey Lance, sources tell me and @RapSheet.
Darnold will back up Brock Purdy, while the future of Lance — the No. 3 overall pick in 2021 — is unclear. pic.twitter.com/HxXQkfM6nq
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 23, 2023
Of course, this means former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance is officially No. 3 on the depth chart. It has been tough sledding for one of the top prospects from the 2021 NFL draft. Lance’s future by the Bay is looking rather bleak.
Although life happens quickly in the NFL. Lance was the starter last year, but injuries to him and to Jimmy Garoppolo led to the rise of Purdy, who was No. 3 himself. Perhaps Lance sticks around and the injury pendulum swings the other way.
But what is most likely to happen is the 49ers find a trade partner as the preseason winds down. Lance led three consecutive scoring drives against the Broncos last week. Perhaps another team will be interested in a young, athletic and relatively cheap quarterback.
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