49ers quarterback competition: Trey Lance’s long road back

SANTA CLARA — The first competition 49ers quarterback Trey Lance needed to win during this offseason wasn’t against Sam Darnold or Brock Purdy, but against his own body.

He had to rid himself of the funky mechanics that developed in the year-plus he spent overcompensating for an injured index finger on his throwing hand, an injury he sustained during the preseason of his rookie year in 2021.

He had to shorten his throwing motion to rediscover a quicker release he had worked hard to master during his time at North Dakota State, where he set an NCAA record for most passing attempts (287) without an interception during the 2019 season.

And he had to recover from a fractured fibula and ligament damage in his right ankle, which grew irritated after surgery last September and, three months later, required a second operation to remove protective hardware and free the ankle to begin healing on its own.

After clearing all these obstacles, the No. 3 pick in the 2021 draft has found himself in the position of competing with Darnold, previously discarded by the lowly New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, for the opportunity to back up Purdy, the guy who was drafted 262nd overall in 2022.

“Shoot, it feels like it’s been a long process,” Lance, 23, said recently. “But I feel like I’m in a really good spot. I don’t even feel (the ankle) or think about it… I really feel like I’m having fun playing football again. There are ups and downs, the stress and anxiety that come with playing the position and playing football, but this is the best I’ve been.”

While the health of his hand and the fine-tuning of his throwing mechanics are important, the strength of Lance’s ankle and the explosiveness of his legs are what could make him the quarterback the 49ers thought he could be when they traded three first-round picks to move up and draft him.

Medically speaking, there’s hope.

Dr. David Oji, a foot and ankle surgeon at Stanford University, said that the surgeries performed on Lance were fairly regular procedures that typically “heal up great” and “most athletes will go back pretty close to their pre-injury level.”

While there are different ways to fix ankle fractures, Oji suspected that the method used on Lance is “mechanically, a very strong way to fix the break, but there’s a high chance the tendon can get irritated.”

That’s what happened with Lance. The implanted metal can “shield the bone and make it artificially stronger,” Oji said, but because of the irritation, Lance had to go back in for a second procedure to remove the hardware. When that happens, the ankle becomes exposed.

“Now all of a sudden the bone is asked to take on all the pressure or the mechanical load without the metal being there, so it would be stressed a little bit more,” Oji said. “So if you were to fall or twist, there’s a higher likelihood it could re-break. Still fairly low. But until the screw holes fill in, it’ll be a little bit weaker.”

The process to a full recovery typically takes a year, only amplifying the importance of this coming season, Lance’s third in the NFL. Not only will he need to prove himself on the field, but he’ll need to do it on a compromised ankle. He’ll be entering year three of a four-year, $34-million contract he signed as a rookie, and the 49ers will have to decide after this year whether or not to pick up his fifth-year option.

Quarterbacks coach Brian Griese said he hasn’t noticed any impact of the ankle injury during OTAs, but Lance said he’s prepared for potential setbacks.

“I’ll learn as I go, figure out what works best,” Lance said.

The hard part is over: most athletes can get back on the field in full capacity within a month or two of the operation. And after getting the hardware removed in late December, Lance said he was back to 100% in March.

In April, he returned to Fargo, North Dakota, to throw passes in front of some of his former college coaches at NDSU. His younger brother, Bryce, is a wide receiver for the Bisons.

Lance’s time in North Dakota impressed Bisons quarterback coach Randy Hedberg, who had a cup of coffee with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the late ‘70s and has since coached Lance, Carson Wentz, the second overall pick by the Eagles in 2016 and Easton Stick, a fifth-round pick by the Chargers in 2019.

“I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen since he healed up from his injury,” Hedberg said of Lance.

He saw clear improvement in Lance’s throwing motion, which he thought got too long at times with the 49ers, but now has a quicker, more direct path to the release. And Lance’s ankle looked to be a non-issue.

“The impression I got when I saw him was that he feels good about where he’s at,” Hedberg said. “That’s critical.”

In a run-first offense with the Bisons in 2019, Lance ran for 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns while passing for 2,786 and throwing 28 touchdowns without an interception.

“I don’t know if that will ever be duplicated,” Hedberg said of the 28 touchdowns without throwing a pick.

Three years into his NFL career, Lance remains a mystery. When he was healthy, there was limited opportunity. When there was an opportunity, he couldn’t stay healthy.

“I know Trey, he’ll bounce back,” said Terry Bahlmann, the coach at Marshall High. “We’ve talked and texted. He’s looking forward to a challenge. Some people are doubting what he can do and that’s only going to make him better down the road…Most of the quarterbacks drafted this year are already older than he is.”

In his brief audition as an NFL quarterback, Lance has completed 55% of his passes with a QB rating of 84.5 and an average of 4.4 yards per rushing attempt.

Those numbers are almost identical to those put up by Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in 2019, Allen’s second season when he was still trying to harness his enormous talent and pair it with quality decision-making, better accuracy and an understanding of when to abandon the pocket and go off-script.

The difference is that Allen made 27 starts his first two years in the league before he broke out in Year 3 and finished as the runner-up to Aaron Rodgers for NFL MVP.

Lance has just four starts under his belt. And there’s no clear path to getting more.

In the competition to see who keeps the seat warm until Purdy returns, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said he will judge the quarterbacks’ timing, accuracy and which one plays the most realistically in practice.

Darnold has 55 career starts to help him understand what realistic NFL play looks like. If Lance is going to be the guy at some point, perhaps he’ll need to stand out with something else.

The unrivaled athleticism and fierce competitive nature that got him here in the first place. Protecting the football the way he did in college. Using his legs to make himself an explosive dual threat.

And keeping himself healthy.

“Just give him a chance,” Hedberg said. “He needs to play. That’s what’s needed. Trey needs that opportunity to play and he hasn’t had that yet because of injury.”

Shanahan said that no matter where Lance falls on the depth chart, teammates “respect the hell out of him and they’ll continue to do that.”

“Obviously, when you’re the No. 1 quarterback and have done that and have experience, that carries more weight,” Shanahan said. “But also, when you’re a No. 1 quarterback and haven’t played, that stuff isn’t real until you go out and do it. That’s all just outside perception.”

With trade rumors bubbling up in April, Lance was asked if part of him thought he would’ve been better off just getting traded to another team.

“No, not at all,” he said. “I knew where I wanted to be. I just want an opportunity to compete.”