49ers fans haven't seen rookie quarterback Trey Lance throw since his Week 5 start against the Arizona Cardinals, but with the possibility he could get another start this Sunday while Jimmy Garoppolo deals with a thumb injury, players and coaches have been talking throughout the week about what they've seen from Lance since October and how much he's improved over the past several weeks.
On Thursday, defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, tight end George Kittle, safety Jimmie Ward, and wide receiver Deebo Samuel became the latest to offer their thoughts on how Lance has looked at practice. Lance was given rave reviews for his work ethic and his progress throwing the ball, while the players and coaches also spoke about the strides he's made with his leadership.
Here's a rundown of what was said about Lance during media sessions on Thursday.
* Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans: Ryans' thoughts on Lance were similar to what others have said in recent days, saying Lance has had a quality month of practice and has been doing a better job of attacking the defense.
"I think Trey has done an outstanding job over the past month or so," Ryans said. "You can definitely see the improvement. He's done a really good job of being more aggressive, taking shots on us and really threading the ball in there in some really tight coverage. So he's done a really good job as far as challenging us, making it harder for our guys to defend. I was definitely encouraged by what he's done over the past month or so. It looks really well. So I'm pleased with Trey."
* Offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel: Among the things McDaniel said about Lance were some interesting comments about how the team has reacted to his work ethic and how he's progressing in developing a voice of leadership.
"You really see he's a charismatic, humble young kid that it's like going to a new school," McDaniel said. "At first, you see glimmers of someone's personality, but if you have any social awareness, you kind of feel it out and see your place. And now, the NFL season is almost like two seasons of college football, so now what's the difference between a freshman in college and a junior? I think people really respect his work ethic. That's earned, not given. And you feel that as a player, and you allow it to all hang out. He's really just another player on the team, and on this team, there's no room for individuals or I's. It's all about what's best for the 49ers. The way he diligently tries to work at his craft I think is very impactful to his teammates.
"Much like we were talking about [wide receiver] Brandon Aiyuk showing his personality, that's what we've experienced with Trey and understanding that players want him to lead embracing that. And you can hear it in his voice. You can hear it in how he handles his teammates. It's been cool to watch."
* Tight end George Kittle: Kittle raved about Lance's progress, saying the rookie has made "huge" strides.
"I think Trey's looked good," Kittle said. "The last couple months I think there's been a huge improvement. Everything you guys saw in camp, I think he's been way better than that. He just looks more mature in the pocket. I think I saw Fred Warner said he's not relying on his legs to make plays, and he's sitting in the pocket and he's reading it a little bit more and taking a little bit more chances in the pocket, which I agree with him. He's not just hey, he sees a flash of color. He kind of shifts in the pocket and he still is able to deliver a ball. That's what you want to see. He's definitely improved in the last several weeks."
Kittle also spoke about Lance's leadership, giving some opinions that were similar to those of McDaniel.
"I think all that Trey's shown is he works really hard," Kittle said. "He leads by example. He's not really a rah-rah guy yet. He's still a rookie, and he's still finding his footing. But I think he just leads by example. He works really hard. You can tell how much he cares about the game. You can tell by his passion for it, his love for the game. Whether that's inspiring or motivating, I kind of think it's a little bit of both. But you can just tell how much work he puts into it. With that and the fact of being a quarterback, you just kind of have that leadership quality, and he's definitely not shying away from it. He speaks his voice when he needs to, and that's about it. I think he's doing a little good job so far."
* Safety Jimmie Ward: Being a former first-round pick himself, Ward showed admiration for how Lance has dealt with being the third overall pick in the draft. Ward also seemed impressed with how quickly Lance has developed, saying Lance was able to complete a couple of passes on him during Thursday's practice.
"I feel like he was doing a pretty good job at the beginning of the year, being a rookie quarterback, a first-round quarterback," Ward said. 'I'm familiar with the type of pressure you can have on yourself. I feel like from what I saw today, he completed two passes on me -- great ball placement, great decision-making. Obviously he can use his feet. I haven't been seeing him use his feet as much. I feel like he progressed throughout the year just like everybody else did too, but I feel like he's doing it at a pretty fast rate."
* Wide receiver Deebo Samuel: Samuel said he hasn't always been able to pay attention to Lance's progress and has had to trust what he's heard from head coach Kyle Shanahan. But he likes what he's seen from Lance this week during preparations for Sunday's game.
"Trey has been throwing the ball pretty well the past month," Samuel said. "He was the scout team quarterback and was doing a really good job there. With the wideouts, while he's throwing and stuff, we're kind of in the back going over the plays for the next series. So we kind of go off Kyle's word. And he's been doing a pretty good job this week, getting the tempo of the offense. There's still a learning curve for him, but he's doing a good job if you ask me."
Defensive end Nick Bosa was also asked about Lance, but he said he didn't have enough information to give the same type of evaluation as the others.
"I'm not going to lie to you and say I have an assessment on his development as a quarterback," Bosa said. "I definitely liked what I saw in that Arizona game."
The 49ers have yet to announce a decision on who will start at quarterback against the Texans at Levi's Stadium on Sunday (4:05 p.m. ET/1:05 p.m. PT, CBS), but Lance has been taking the snaps at practice this week. Garoppolo still hopes his thumb will feel good enough to play after sustaining the injury in the loss to the Tennessee Titans last Thursday.
