San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance is 100 percent cleared to practice after suffering a season-ending ankle injury last season and undergoing two surgeries. He will be on the field when the team begins organized team activities (OTAs) next month.
"He's been out there throwing, doing everything," general manager John Lynch told reporters when asked about the health of the third-year quarterback.
There was speculation heading into the 2023 NFL Draft that the 49ers might look to trade Lance. That didn't happen. Doing so never seemed to make financial sense. The Niners are also without last season's surprise rookie, Brock Purdy, until around September. Maybe sooner.
During the NFC Championship Game, Purdy suffered a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow and underwent surgery to repair the injury on March 10.
San Francisco also added veteran Sam Darnold to the mix. He and Lance will compete to be the Week 1 starter should Purdy not be fully cleared in time for the start of the regular season.
Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan noted that the team is trying to add a fourth quarterback, hoping to sign an undrafted free agent.
"They're looking to fill out everything with the free agents," Shanahan said. "We'd love to get a fourth guy here. We'll see which one it is. But we'll be all right, though, in the offseason when we get to training camp.
"Hopefully, we'll get Brock back soon. But regardless, we'd love a fourth guy here. You never know how much we end up doing in the OTA sessions, but it's been good having two guys out there just throwing. They've been on their own.
"We'll start with everybody tomorrow where we actually can go out on the field with them as coaches. But hopefully, when it's said and done, we'll have a fourth guy."