SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan is placing a few bets by bringing back Jimmy Garoppolo as the backup for new starting quarterback Trey Lance this season.
He’s betting that the Niners’ 53-man roster is, indeed, good enough to compete for a Super Bowl.
Shanahan is betting that the culture in the 49ers locker room is strong enough that he won’t feel internal pressure to make a quarterback change, should Lance struggle out of the gates of his first season as a starter.