The San Francisco 49ers took a gamble when they drafted Trey Lance.
They traded three draft picks to the Miami Dolphins to move up and select the former North Dakota State standout.
Their selection of the Minnesota native ended the speculation of whether they would select Lance or Alabama quarterback Mac Jones.
But eight games into his rookie season, Lance is yet to see significant time on the field.
He started once and played a decent game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Other than that appearance, he saw spot minutes in three more games.
As of writing, Lance has three passing and one rushing touchdowns.
Now that he’s healthy again after suffering a sprained knee, 49ers fans are waiting for the time when they transition from Jimmy Garoppolo as their starting quarterback.
After all, why burn a high draft pick and trade three future selections if you won’t play him anyway?
Given the team’s status as of the moment, it won’t be long before Lance takes the driver’s seat.
A Disappointing Season
Injuries decimated the 49ers a year after they played in Super Bowl LIV.
But with that season already in the past, they looked into 2021 with a renewed spirit.
It looked like their struggles were over when Kyle Shanahan’s crew won its first two games.
Unfortunately, everything went downhill after that due to injuries and questionable coaching.
The 49ers won one of the last six games and haven’t won on their home field in four tries this season.
Key defensive players like Dee Ford, Javon Kinlaw, Dre Greenlaw, and Jason Verrett remain sidelined, weakening the 49ers’ resistance.
There’s no excuse for San Francisco losing to the Indianapolis Colts at Levi’s Stadium in Week 7.
They played in the rain, and the Colts committed some turnovers early in the game.
However, the visitors put up a fight and stole a victory from the home team.
San Francisco is now at 3-5 after another loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
It’s still mathematically possible for them to get a Wild Card spot for the NFC playoffs.
That’s their only shot of entering the postseason because it would be impossible to overtake the Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West.
Garoppolo will continue to be their starter until they have a shot at the playoffs because he gives them a better shot at winning.
However, that window may close soon, and Lance should get his opportunity under center.
Let Lance Play For Experience
Once the 49ers’ playoff chances dwindle to zero, Lance must be starting for the team moving forward.
That’s the only way the team could assess what they have with him.
It won’t be enough to gauge his talent if he checks into the game for occasional touchdowns.
He must get a better feel of the game to build momentum for the 2022 season.
There’s no guarantee that he’d do great during his starts.
But experience will be the best mentor to teach him the game.
Yet if Lance met or exceeded the 49ers’ expectations, the team must make him their starter.
He affects the game more than Garoppolo, and his versatility may propel the franchise to another Super Bowl run.
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