Prior to the 2021 NFL draft, the San Francisco traded two first round picks and a third rounder to the Miami Dolphins for the luxury of picking No. 3 overall. Instead of selecting Justin Fields or Mac Jones, the 49ers picked NDSU’s Trey Lance. Seen as a raw project, but with tantalizing ability, San Francisco rolled the dice on the young Bison.
Unfortunately for Lance and the 49ers, the development has failed to materialize as planned. Lance went from being the presumptive franchise quarterback to competing with Sam Darnold for a backup role.
Many have sold their stock on Lance, except for one fellow signal caller. Ever the optimist, Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson offered some genuinely thoughtful and encouraging words to the embattled 49er.
Wilson’s comments can be seen below, just after head coach Sean Payton’s unbecoming-yet-typical snarkiness when asked about Lance.
San Francisco narrowly defeated the Broncos 21-20 on Saturday, sending Denver to an 0-2 record to start the preseason. Lance played admirably, taking over for Darnold late in the third quarter. Despite throwing an interception, Lance led San Francisco on three-consecutive scoring drives, including the game-winning field goal as time expired.
Perhaps there is not much of a future for Lance in the City by the Bay. But the preseason is as much an audition for the other 31 teams as much as it is the one a player is currently on. If Lance can show legitimate improvement, there may be another quarterback-needy team willing to roll the dice on him should be available via trade or being cut.
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