One San Francisco 49ers insider believes training camp may be a make-or-break time for the team's former No. 3 overall pick, Trey Lance. With quarterback Brock Purdy recovering from his March surgery, Lance and veteran Sam Darnold are competing for the QB2 job. If Lance loses out, that could be disastrous for his future with the 49ers.

Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area isn't buying the doom-and-gloom national narrative surrounding the 49ers' disappointment in Lance. In fact, the longtime reporter believes the team has never been higher on the third-year player.

"I dispute the notion that the 49ers have soured on Trey Lance," Maiocco said last month. "I think, personally, in my opinion, is that they like him now more than they ever have since they've had him with the 49ers, but they just don't know how he would perform."

Lance has started only four games during his NFL career. He was dealing with a finger injury during the first two, played in monsoon-like conditions in the third, and suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the fourth. The 49ers had enough confidence in the young quarterback to make him the starter entering last season.


The injury—plus an injury to Jimmy Garoppolo—opened the door for Purdy, leading many to wonder about Lance's future with the organization. Purdy had an impressive rookie campaign after being thrown into the starting lineup in December. If not for a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow, it might have been the 49ers, not the Philadelphia Eagles, representing the NFC in the Super Bowl.

Maiocco believes Lance has had his strongest offseason since the 49ers drafted him. However, with Purdy now in the picture, the insider wonders if Lance will get another opportunity to prove himself.

"I've gotten the sense for several months that the 49ers really like where he is," Maiocco recently said on his 49ers Talk podcast. "They like how he is mentally. They like how he is physically. All that said, there are just still so many unanswered questions about what he can bring to the table because of one reason. He simply has not played a lot of football since his senior year at Marshall High. And that was a long time ago."

With Purdy at the top of the depth chart, Lance may not have an opportunity to see the field again, barring any future injuries. If Darnold surpasses him on the depth chart, his odds of getting another chance decrease dramatically. Yes, the 49ers went through four quarterbacks last season, but that was (hopefully) an anomaly.

"And so I think he may never get his chance with the 49ers if Brock Purdy gets healthy, stays healthy, and performs well," Maiocco continued. "So that's why I think that this is make-or-break time for Trey Lance. As much as the team likes him, let's face it, this is a tough, brutal business, and he's a commodity. And so if he can't win the number two job, then the team is going to have some very difficult decisions to make."



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