San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch has confirmed quarterback Trey Lance is fully fit again after undergoing two surgeries on a season-ending ankle injury.
Lance suffered a fibula fracture and ligament disruption in Week 2 of the 2022 season during a game against the Seattle Seahawks. The third pick in the 2021 draft, who was named the Niners’ starting quarterback before the season began, lasted less than five full quarters before being carted off at Levi's Stadium.
After initially undergoing surgery during the days after the game, further cleanup surgery was required on the recovering ankle late last year to remove irritating hardware. That put Lance back on crutches, but will not mean missing any of this season.
“He’s been out there throwing, doing everything,” Lynch replied after being asked about the third-year quarterback. The GM’s comments confirm what Lance said last week when claiming he was “good to go” after being cleared for a return “a little over a month ago”.
Lance has been the subject of trade rumours during the NFL off-season, particularly in the lead-up to last week’s 2023 NFL Draft. Such uncertainty seems set to continue throughout the summer before the regular season starts in early September.
For now, Lance remains on the team, with Brock Purdy sidelined due to injury. Last season’s standout rookie continues to recover from a torn ulnar collateral ligament after injuring the right elbow during the NFC Championship Game.
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49ers coach Kyle Shanahan admits that the team are still searching for a fourth quarterback during the offseason after already adding veteran Sam Darnold on a one-year deal from the Carolina Panthers. “They’re looking to fill out everything with the [undrafted] free agents,” Shanahan said.
“We’d love to get a fourth guy here. We’ll see which one it is. But we’ll be all right, though, in the offseason when we get to training camp. Hopefully, we’ll get Brock back soon. But regardless, we’d love a fourth guy here.
“You never know how much we end up doing in the OTA (organised team activity) sessions, but it’s been good having two guys out there just throwing. They’ve been on their own.
“We'll start with everybody tomorrow (Sunday) where we actually can go out on the field with them as coaches. But hopefully, when it's said and done, we'll have a fourth guy."
With Purdy’s status for the start of the regular season on September 7 uncertain, Lane and Darnold will compete for the starting quarterback role in Week 1 after the Niners lost Jimmy Garoppolo to the Las Vegas Raiders during free agency. The 31-year-old spent five years in San Francisco.
Garoppolo replaced the injured Lance as the team’s starter before suffering a season-ending foot injury in Week 13. Purdy deputised admirably as third-choice quarterback for the remainder of the season as they were one game away from the Super Bowl.
