The San Francisco 49ers made the decision that veteran signal called Sam Darnold has beaten out former first round draft pick Trey Lance in the battle to be San Francisco’s backup quarterback this season.
With that decision, the Niners appear to be poised to deal Lance, who has been unable to nail down a starting job that he seemed to be lined up for and now the backup quarterback gig which has now been granted to Darnold.
Despite what seems logical, even among the top NFL journalists covering the 49ers, head coach Kyle Shanahan made some odd comments regarding the team’s plans for Lance for Friday’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“I plan on Trey going in right after Sam.” Shanahan said during an appearance on KNBR radio, per the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch.
Given the price the Niners had to pay to get themselves in position to draft Lance, it seems that keeping him as a third stringer isn’t best for all parties, and that dealing him to recoup some of what they had to give up is the most sensible route.
The 49ers swapped first-round picks and then sent an additional pair of first-round picks along with a third to the Miami Dolphins in order to draft Lance.
