49ers’ Kyle Shanahan Gives Curious Answer on Trey Lance, Sam Darnold QB2 Battle

The San Francisco coach is in no rush to select the franchise’s backup signal-caller.

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan is in no rush to select Trey Lance or Sam Darnold as the team’s No. 2 quarterback behind starter Brock Purdy.

Lance is coming off a bounce back preseason performance on Sunday where he led San Francisco on three back-to-back scoring drives in a 21–20 win against the Broncos. Prior to Sunday’s showing, Lance was the subject of a great deal of national criticism from his opening preseason game against the Raiders, but the former No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL draft rallied in his second appearance, throwing for 173 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Meanwhile, Darnold also had a solid outing, completing 11-of-14 passes for 109 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the victory.

When asked when the 49ers would solidify their backup signal-caller, Shanahan said the team’s backup would not be named before the 49ers' preseason finale on Friday against the Chargers. Instead, the decision would likely happen prior to their Week 1 regular season matchup against the Steelers.

Shanahan also confirmed that quarterbacks No. 2 and No. 3 could vary from week to week. As Darnold and Lance compete for the backup position, all signs point to Purdy being the franchise’s starting quarterback. 

Purdy saw his first action against Denver since suffering an elbow injury against the Eagles in the NFC title game in January. 

Initially, Lance was expected to be San Francisco’s starting quarterback ahead of the 2022 season. However, he suffered a season-ending ankle injury during the second game of the season, leading to Purdy eventually taking over at quarterback.