49ers concerned Trey Lance may lack adequate 'arm fitness'?
Rumblings suggesting that some within the San Francisco 49ers would prefer for veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to start over 2021 rookie Trey Lance for another season aren't just sticking around through the middle of May. They're getting louder.
During a Wednesday appearance on CBS Sports HQ, former offensive lineman and current broadcaster and football analyst Ryan Harris predicted the 49ers will have Garoppolo and not Lance atop their depth chart for Week 1 in September.
"From players I've talked to and coaches I've talked to who are at the 49ers, Trey Lance is really leaving a lot to be desired in terms of the fitness of his arm, whether or not he can digest the playbook, and can really start to process the game at a high level," Harris explained at that time. "So breaking news for you, I believe it's going to be Jimmy Garoppolo in that game with the better structure around him and having Kyle Shanahan want to create the narrative Week 1 against the (Chicago) Bears."
Marc Adams of 49ers WebZone asked Harris for additional information via Twitter, and Harris obliged.
"Harris is stating that he's directly spoken to current 49ers players and coaches and that some have expressed concerns over whether or not Lance can continue to throw the ball with velocity for a full season," Adams noted. "If those words have been uttered by current players and coaches, that is a little worrisome."
It was back in February when ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that "Lance was probably further behind than people realized" last season and was "greener than people realize" as of the end of his debut campaign. Earlier this month, NFL insider Matt Lombardo of Fansided raised eyebrows when he tweeted that "the 49ers' staff has been continually underwhelmed" by the 22-year-old.
After Lombardo's somewhat controversial post, former San Francisco cornerback Richard Sherman and NBC Sports' Peter King both offered legitimate reasons for why Garoppolo could stay with the 49ers through at least training camp.
"I do think that unless he is simply not ready to play, I do think the starter opening day will be Trey Lance," King wrote earlier this week.
At this point, it cannot be denied there are people who want fans to believe, for whatever reasons, that some within the 49ers' building are at least questioning if Lance has the goods to guide a team that fell in the NFC Championship Game this past January to a Super Bowl berth less than nine months from today.
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