Trey Lance finally took his first reps as the QB1 for the San Francisco 49ers. The team opened training camp Wednesday with Lance leading the way while incumbent quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo spent the session in the weight room.
Early training camp practices don’t involve pads so it’s hard to get any real gauge on future success from those reps. However, Lance did get some throws in before team drills and started his journey toward being the starting QB on Week 1 in San Francisco.
Reporters on site had some video of a couple Lance throws, including this one to KeeSean Johnson on the sideline.
Trey to the sideline
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— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) July 27, 2022
This throw on air isn’t particularly noteworthy, except for the fact it’s a good ball with velocity to the sideline. That was an area the 49ers struggled to find success over the last four seasons. If Lance can force defenses to defend sideline to sideline, it could open a lot of options for head coach Kyle Shanahan.
As for Johnson, he signed in the offseason and is on the outside looking in at a roster spot to start camp.
Then there’s this throw to tight end George Kittle.
Trey —> Kittle
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— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) July 27, 2022
Another throw on air doesn’t mean it’s time to crown Lance, but the placement on this one is key. He delivers a good ball with plenty of pace where Kittle can make the catch then quickly turn upfield.
This is the kind of throw San Francisco’s coaching staff would love to see Lance make consistently. It’s an easy toss and a high-percentage play that has a chance to become a chunk play thanks to Kittle’s after-the-catch ability.
It needs to be stressed that this is a small sample size of throws against no defense, so the takeaways can’t be firm. However, the fact Lance is connecting on the easy ones early in camp is better than the alternative where he’s missing those. Progress might be slow for the second-year QB, and the team will have to be patient. Early returns are good though.