If there’s friction between 49ers quarterbacks Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, nobody would know it by listening to the two players talk. If there was any concern that Lance would be shaken by San Francisco’s decision to keep Garoppolo as his backup, the second-year QB did his best to quell it Thursday by openly supporting the veteran’s return.
“It’s good to have him back,” Lance said in a press conference. “Good to have him back in the building, in the QB room again. Like I’ve said, he’s been a big brother to me since my first day in the league, since I got drafted — the day I got drafted. I know he’s got my back. I’ve got his back. I’m excited to go through this year with him. He’s going to add a lot to our quarterback room. I mean, that’s the goal for us is just have the best quarterback room in the league and we’re pretty close if we’re not there. I’m super excited just to have him in the room, another guy who’s done it. I got to watch him do it last year, got to learn a ton from him and I’m going to continue to learn as much as I can from him, take all the advice that he’s got for me this year.”
In theory the Lance-Garoppolo pairing is smart. The 49ers will have the best backup QB in the league behind their up-and-coming starter, and in the event Lance is unavailable.
In practice it’s much harder. Lance was going to have a chance to struggle this year while taking time to develop. Now there’s a locker room dynamic where things could get dicey if the first-time starter scuffles at all out of the gate. A 1-3 start with Brock Purdy as the QB2 could be chalked up to growing pains. Now a 1-3 start means the heat could be on for head coach Kyle Shanahan to make a move under center.
That added pressure isn’t something Lance is worried about though.
“Nah, not at all,” Lance said when asked if he was nervous about Garoppolo being back. “I was super excited like I said, man. He’s done it, and he’s a huge resource for me throughout this whole entire year. And I know he’s always been willing to help me out, so I’m super excited for it.”
Thursday marked Garoppolo’s first practice with the club since before the NFC championship game back in January. Lance called the session “super normal” and said “it was fun to have him around.”
The vibes in Santa Clara appear to be impeccable. It’s a good start for the 49ers in their quest to navigate a nigh impossible QB situation. Now they need to ensure it stays this way when the season starts and adversity inevitably sets in.
