The San Francisco 49ers are in the midst of a quarterback battle between their backup options, with Trey Lance and Sam Darnold splitting the second-team reps through the first three practices of training camp.
Lance, the team's starter to begin the 2022 season, and Darnold, a free agent signing this offseason, have been competing for a majority of the offseason, with the duo splitting first-team reps during minicamp while Brock Purdy was nursing his torn UCL injury.
Now in camp, the duo have seen their reps decrease as Purdy resumes his starting role with the first-team offense, leaving less opportunity and more pressure to perform when given chances.
Should Trey Lance be given more opportunities, given the lack of reps over his two-year NFL career?
Upon Brock Purdy's return on Day 2 of training camp, the 49ers went with an interesting rep split for the quarterbacks: Purdy gets all the first-team reps, while Lance and Darnold split all the second-team reps.
However, the two backups aren't splitting the third-team reps as well; instead, veteran Brandon Allen has taken all of those opportunities.
What does this mean?
Well, during team drills, Purdy receives a set of reps every three sets, as the order goes first team, second team, and third team before repeating.
That means Allen is also receiving a set of reps every three times. But, Lance and Darnold are receiving reps only once every five sets limiting their opportunities and intensifying the pressure on the two young quarterbacks.
There's a priority to determine the quarterback pecking order this offseason, and the best way to do so is getting Lance and Darnold the most amount of backup reps possible.
Therefore, it's confusing why Brandon Allen, a practice-squad-level quarterback who likely shouldn't make the roster, is earning a similar amount of opportunity, cutting into the chances for the backup duo.
Of course, there shouldn't be excuses for either of their performances when they've struggled; it's on the quarterbacks to perform when given chances.
But, there are significant layoffs between the reps for each Lance and Darnold, as they only practice every five sets, and that's a questionable approach to solving the quarterback dilemma.
