The San Francisco 49ers were pretty close to another trip to the Super Bowl last season. But as it happened for most of the year, poor QB play stood in their way and prevented them from reaching their ceiling.
Now, they hope that Trey Lance can finally get them over the hump and be their starting QB for years to come.
And so far, so good for Lance and the Niners. He's reportedly taken a step forward, and it's shown during his team's OTAs, with WR Brandon Aiyuk showering him in praise:
“I’ve seen a whole lot from him, especially since we started this offseason program and seeing how much he’s grown,” Aiyuk said. “Just seeing him throw the football, leading the locker room, connect with guys – we have a special quarterback.”
Reports stated that the Niners' staff was underwhelmed by Lance's development. Defensive Coordinator DeMeco Ryans were quick to shut down that narrative by stating how excited they are about what they're seeing:
“Trey has done a great job,” Ryans said. “It’s good to see him just coming into his own role as a leader and being able to take control of the team. We’re fired up for Trey and what he can do for us.”
Lance's work ethic has turned a lot of heads around the organization. In fact, he's set to stay in the facility following the mandatory minicamp to continue working on his craft, per NBC Sports ' Jessica Lee Chan:
"Team sources told NBC Sports Bay Area on Sunday that the sophomore quarterback is expected to remain in Santa Clara for an additional week of work on a voluntary basis," reported Chan.
Lance has also been working with Niners legend Steve Young, who recently called him 'awesomely raw' and raved about how exciting it is to watch him develop:
"It's going to be super exciting," Young said. "And I said earlier, he's awesomely raw, and we're going to watch the development. There's not going to be part of his development as a player that happens somewhere else. At North Dakota State, it happened a little bit, but it's all going to happen as a Forty-Niner. A lot of guys have it in college a lot more. They play a lot more, develop in other places. We're going to get to watch it all. So, we're all invested and are in it for the long haul."
That's the ultimate praise a Niners QB can ask for. So he better deliver now.
