Trey Lance Could Have Taysom Hill-esque Role With 49ers
By Peter Dewey
Trey Lance may have been the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but it appears that Jimmy Garoppolo will still open the season as the San Francisco 49ers’ starting quarterback.
That doesn’t mean Lance won’t be involved, though.
According to The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen, Lance could have a red-zone role in the offense. And while Nguyen didn’t directly compare Lance’s potential role to Taysom Hill (he actually compared it to Robert Griffin III’s time in Washington with Kyle Shanahan), it’s hard not to draw comparisons to the New Orleans Saints’ quarterback and what he did the past few seasons under Sean Payton.
“I believe the 49ers are going to have Jimmy Garoppolo start this season — it’s more than lip service,” Nguyen wrote. “Shanahan’s offense is difficult to learn and even veteran quarterbacks can take a season to really get comfortable with it. I imagine that mastering the playbook as a rookie without many snaps is a daunting task. That said, I can see Shanahan using Lance in short-yardage/red-zone situations and even drives to give defenses something to think about.
“Shanahan had an entire season of drawing up spread-option plays for RG3 during their time in Washington. He used a lot of zone reads with bluff blocks on the back side.”
Lance may get a chance to flash some of his elite skills early in his rookie season after all. WynnBET doesn’t envision Lance sitting behind Garoppolo for long, as he has the third-best odds to win the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award at +700 odds.
San Francisco is expected to be much improved after injuries derailed the team’s 2020 season. The 49ers are tied with the Los Angeles Rams for the best odds to win the NFC West at +180.
Garoppolo led the 49ers to a Super Bowl in 2019, but it’s clear the team doesn’t view him as their franchise quarterback after it drafted Lance in the first round of this year’s draft. If Lance shines in a smaller red-zone role, it’s going to be really hard for Kyle Shanahan and company to keep him off the field this season.