San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke briefly with Steve Mariucci of NFL Network after Saturday's practice. Naturally, Mariucci brought up the team's quarterback situation. The plan is to enter Week 1 with the veteran, Jimmy Garoppolo, as the starter. However, the team used a high draft pick to add Trey Lance, who is the quarterback of the future.
Mariucci asked Shanahan to once again confirm that Garoppolo is the 49ers' starter and how the coach manages the practice and preseason reps between the two, with Lance needing experience to eventually take over the offense.
"It's not bad with the one and two," Shanahan said. "And yeah, that is true. Jimmy's our starter because he's our best quarterback right now. And obviously, we think a lot of Trey, and that's why we invested what we did. So, we're expecting him to get better each day, and that's what he's done in these four practices so far. But it's tough with the reps."
Shanahan admits that Garoppolo won't play as much as Lance during the preseason games. That should help the rookie quarterback gain valuable in-game reps.
"This will be Trey's first experience," Shanahan explained. "Right now, the plan is for Jimmy to start Week 1, and some drastic stuff would have to happen for that to change, so we're going to do preseason accordingly. Hopefully, we can get Trey a number of reps out there."
It's not just a matter of finding reps for Garoppolo and Lance, though. Shanahan likes his entire quarterback room, which also includes Josh Rosen and Nate Sudfeld.
Added Shanahan: "Also, we've got a good three and four too, so I've got to find a way to get them some reps too, which is the bigger challenge."