Brock Purdy, Try Lance and Sam Darnold have all spoken positively about the atmosphere among the San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks ahead of the 2023 NFL season.
Earlier this month, Kyle Allen signed with the 49ers to join the trio as options at quarterback. San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan appears to be covering his depth at the position after they were ravaged by injuries that ultimately derailed their campaign last season.
Lance - the 2021 third overall pick - suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2 of the 2022 season, allowing Purdy to amazingly transition from third-string quarterback to starter once Jimmy Garoppolo also suffered an injury that prematurely ended his season. Purdy also went down against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Conference game, which led to the 49ers missing out on a Super Bowl berth.
The 2022 NFL Draft’s ‘Mr Irrelevant’ after he was the final pick, Purdy went 5-0 in the regular season and led the 49ers to within one game of the Super Bowl during a spectacular rookie season - and he is expected to be the starter once he returns from ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) surgery. The 23-year-old’s recovery means he will not be able to throw until June, while he could also miss the first few matches of the 2023 NFL season.
Perhaps he’s confident as the inarguable starter, but Purdy referred to the ‘great’ dynamic existing within the quarterback room. Speaking to reporters, the sophomore star said: “We all get along really well and I’m really excited moving forward with this group of guys.”
Darnold, who joined the 49ers as a former third overall draft pick following stints with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, also heaped praise on the atmosphere. He added: “It’s just really cool the conversations that we get to have in the quarterback room, especially like you mentioned with Coach Griese in there, just being able to talk about the position and talk about how to kind of deal with those things and deal with adversity and even deal with success at times.”
The 25-year-old’s arrival was expected to push Lance towards a trade away from the Bay Area, which may have been why Shanahan and co. signed Allen. However, Lance - the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft - insisted he was happy with the situation in San Francisco.
“I knew where I wanted to be. I just want an opportunity to compete,” Lance said. “I love it here. I love the coaching staff. I love working with [Brian] Griese and Klay [Kubiak] and now Klint [Kubiak] as well.
“Love the quarterback room, love the guys in the locker room,” Lance continued. “No doubt for me, this is absolutely where I want to be.”
Purdy will be the starter if he is fit, but it’s a big if - and it means contingency plans have been made. Lance opened OTAs taking all first-team reps while Darnold got to grips with the playbook after landing on his third team in four years. Allen is something of an insurance policy for the time being.
The 49ers have started 15 different quarterbacks since 2017, with each one tasked with leading the franchise to its first Super Bowl title since Steve Young did so in 1994. As long as it is one of the four names on his books, Shanahan won’t mind which quarterback leads him to the promised land.
