The 49ers, despite a tough loss in the NFC championship game, are still in a good spot to contend again next season. Thanks to their strong finish to the 2022 campaign, ESPN has them slated at No. 3 in their early 2023 power rankings. They’re only behind this year’s Super Bowl participants – the Chiefs and Eagles.
While San Francisco returns virtually all of its starters from this year’s club, the one big question mark just happens to be at the most important spot on the roster. How they erase that question mark will determine whether they stay among the NFL’s elite, or face an uphill climb back to the playoffs. Via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner:
Brock Purdy and Trey Lance are the only two quarterbacks the Niners have under contract for next season and both are recovering from injuries. Lance (broken right ankle) expects to be a full go for OTAs and beyond, while Purdy (torn UCL in right elbow) won’t be back until late July at the earliest. Which means San Francisco’s quarterback dilemma must first be solved based on health, then on ability and upside. Would the 49ers run it back with just Purdy, Lance and a low-cost veteran? That’s just one of the many quarterback questions the Niners must answer if they’re going to contend for a Super Bowl again in 2023.
Purdy’s success at the end of 2022 is a big reason they’re slotted this high to start 2023. However, his availability combined with Lance’s inexperience create the sizable unknown at the position with the offseason getting underway.
The good news is the 49ers have a roster capable of working through some turmoil at the position. There’s a limit to that tumult though. At some point they have to figure it out during the year. If they do, they should be in position to be just as dangerous as they were at the end of 2022.
