New questions about 'arm fitness' of 49ers QB Trey Lance emerge?

As long as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo remains with the San Francisco 49ers, individuals such as team legend and Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice likely will suggest the franchise should either let Garoppolo compete with 2021 rookie Trey Lance for the starting job this summer or stash the veteran as a proven backup behind Lance. 

Garoppolo's existence on the roster may also continue to lead some to question Lance's ability to win on the biggest NFL stages beginning this fall.

Back in May, former offensive lineman and current broadcaster and football analyst Ryan Harris predicted Garoppolo will be San Francisco's QB1 for Week 1 this September, in part because Lance was "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." 

One doctor almost immediately shrugged such concerns off, but it appears doubts about Lance's arm haven't disappeared this summer. 

As Rohan Chakravarthi noted for 49ers WebZone, FOX Sports' Colin Cowherd and NFL insider Mike Silver recently touched upon Lance's physical attributes during an edition of "The Colin Cowherd Podcast." 

"[Lance's] delivery, [the 49ers] are kind of rebuilding it," Cowherd reportedly explained. "He gets arm fatigue. It's not an easy throw. He needs days off, and they're worried about his accuracy."

Silver, meanwhile, added: 

"If you've seen Trey Lance practice now for a whole year, I believe this is what you think if you're Kyle (Shanahan) and the 49ers coaches. In fact, I know. You think he is really smart. We love that. He is athletically awesome. He has a great arm. We're not sure that he can take that great arm and throw that ball in those tight spaces really accurately. So that's the only reason, I think, deep in his heart, Kyle may want to hedge because your team is [built to win] now."

Silver addressed such comments via Twitter: