When will the 49ers open the QB competition?

By Scooter_McG

According to Kyle Shanahan, there is no QB competition. That has been the public stance since Trey Lance was drafted - Jimmy G is the starting QB and Trey Lance, the QB they gave up three first round picks for, will be given a chance to sit and learn. This was the stance Shanahan and Lynch outlined during OTAs, before training camp started, and through the first seven days of training camp. 

However, over the course of the first seven training camp practices, something happened that probably caught the coaching staff and front office a little by surprise. Trey Lance, the 21 year old rookie with just 17 college starts at a FCS school, looked nothing like an inexperienced rookie out of his depth. He looked the part of an NFL QB. He looked like a QB that was already picking the offense up quickly, processing well in scrimmages, throwing the ball with power, accuracy and timing, showcasing his elite athleticism, and routinely making "wow" plays each day of practice. In short, he looked far more ready to push for playing time than maybe most anticipated.  

Shanahan's stance on the "no competition" at QB hasn't changed, however, he provided some additional clarity and potentially opened the door for a softening of the stance after today's practice. While continuing to stress that Jimmy G is the starter, Shanahan for the first time outlined that Trey Lance will start getting reps with the first team, and will get playing time during the season. At this stage, according to Shanahan, the plan is for Lance to play "situationally", i.e. in certain packages and certain situations, most likely packages that will be based around making use of Lance's athleticism and running threat and situations such as in the red zone. 

The other interesting comment Shanahan made though was that the 2's (i.e. the second team players, or backups) are always looking to supplant the 1's (starters). And that Trey Lance is no different - he is working to try and supplant Jimmy G as the starter. Shanahan even went to say he sees the QB position as being no different to other positions in this regard, and that while typically with QBs it is a little more cut and dried, by having two QBs with different skill sets he sees the 49ers QB situation as being more a case of one where they can split snaps, like what you would see at other position groups. 

So what does all this mean? Not much really at this stage. A lot of what Shanahan said was aligned with what he has been saying in the past and it already seemed clear the 49ers had plans to get Lance on the field for certain packages. But it does show that Lance is well on his way to earning playing time with the way he has performed in practice. And that, for a 21 year old rookie coming from NDSU after limited college experience, is a huge step and bodes very well for how the 49ers perceive his development at this stage. 

But how long will it take for Lance's situational snaps to expand to the point he is the starter? If he continues to show well through training camp and practices, and he takes advantage of the situational snaps he is given in games, it will only be a matter of time before this 2 supplants the 1.