Jul 21, 2025; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Trey Lance (5) at training camp at The Bolt. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Is Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh fixing former 49ers QB Trey Lance?

Originally posted on San Francisco 49ers on SI
By Grant Cohn | Last updated Jul 27, 2025 1:00 PM ET

Last time we checked in with Trey Lance, he was the Dallas Cowboys' third-string quarterback after getting discarded by the 49ers.

Remember, they spent three first-round picks plus a third-rounder on Lance, who was 20 when they drafted him, he had taken a year off during Covid, and he played at a glorified community college -- North Dakota State.

Then, after just four career starts and a gruesome leg injury, the 49ers gave up on him and found Brock Purdy, who seems to have a promising future. The 49ers just made him the seventh-highest-paid player in the NFL.

Meanwhile, Lance is trying to save his career. He currently is competing with Taylor Heinicke to be the Chargers' backup quarterback. And although it's still early, Lance seems to be doing well on his new team.

Jim Harbaugh really might fix Trey Lance. pic.twitter.com/DgHKuVIjNW
— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) July 27, 2025

Notice in the video above, Lance throws the ball deep down the sideline. That's a throw that 49ers quarterback don't usually attempt because the system is predicated on making 12-yard passes over the middle. Those passes don't require a strong arm -- they require anticipation, touch and accuracy. And they're dangerous throws into traffic. So when they're not completed, they're often intercepted.

Lance has a strong arm and he's not particularly accurate over the middle. So, Jim Harbaugh is doing something the 49ers never did with Lance -- playing to his strengths, helping him protect the football and letting him be an athlete. As opposed to Kyle Shanahan, who wanted Lance to be a robot.

In college, one of the things Lance did best was protect the football. He threw just one interception at North Dakota State. Expect Harbaugh to bring out that version of Lance, which is the best version of him, just as Harbaugh brought out the best version of Alex Smith when everyone had already written him off.

This is what Harbaugh does. Lance finally found the right coach for him.

This article first appeared on San Francisco 49ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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