With most signs pointing to Trey Lance being given every opportunity to start for the 49ers next season, Troy Aikman shares why he thinks the Niners are the perfect spot for Lance to showcase his talents.
Plenty of question marks continue to surround the quarterback position for the 49ers.
Will Trey Lance be the starter in Week 1? Is he ready? Will Jimmy Garoppolo be on the roster? Will the two compete for the second year in a row? The water certainly has been muddied after the 49ers failed to trade Garoppolo early in the offseason.
Lance reportedly has been assured behind the scenes that he will start out of the gate, and all indications are that San Francisco has turned the page and is ready to hand the 22-year-old the keys to the offense.
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NBC Sports NFL analyst Chris Simms released his annual quarterback rankings, where he listed Lance at No. 31 overall, seven spots higher than his 2021 ranking (No. 38) after the 49ers selected him with the No. 3 pick in the draft.
"I see the talent, the potential, all of that," Simms explained on the latest episode of the "Chris Simms Unbuttoned" podcast. "There's no doubt. If you are really into that, and you believe you can groom him and fix him and do some of that, I can get why you take him at No. 3. The arm is ridiculously strong, and he's a good athlete.
"I think the accuracy is still the biggest question," Simms said. "Just pure ability to be a thrower and a passer. Again, every game was a f--king miracle to get back to 50 percent throwing. I mean, it really was. ... And I feel like Shanahan had to basically call plays to just go, 'Let's get his completion percentage up. Maybe we can end the game at 50 percent.' I really felt, as I was watching some of the games, that was part of it."
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Another common critique of Lance has been his touch -- or lack thereof -- on certain passes.
"He's throwing to a receiver from you to me, and he's throwing as hard as he can," Simms added. "... It jumps out when you watch on film. ... And then, I think what added on to it, you see very few real quarterback plays, go through the pocket, read it, do all that. A lot of his big plays and his stats were what I would call 'Shanahan Specials.'"
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Of course, playing time has been the biggest factor in Lance's development thus far.
The rookie started two games in place of an injured Garoppolo last season and made brief cameos in four other matchups. If he does start out of the gate in 2022, the runway will be wide open, allowing the young signal-caller to either sink or swim in his first full season as the starter.