The San Francisco 49ers may have dropped a hint regarding their thinking at the quarterback position with their choice as to who gets first-team reps during OTAs.
ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported that Trey Lance is getting first-team reps ahead of Sam Darnold at OTAs, via Dov Kleiman of BroBible. Darnold is serving as the backup while he gets comfortable with the offense and learns the playbook.
That suggests that Darnold could certainly supplant Lance later in the summer if coach Kyle Shanahan sees sufficient progress. The former No. 2 pick is a newcomer to San Francisco, having signed as a free agent in the offseason.
The preseason battle may end up being pointless, with Brock Purdy being viewed as the favorite to start when healthy. He is still recovering from offseason elbow surgery, but the Niners are expecting him back early in the season. If he cannot play in Week 1, some rivals apparently think Darnold has the edge over Lance when it comes to taking the job.
Lance, himself a former No. 3 pick, has put in a lot of offseason work. Whether that pays dividends remains to be seen.
