The San Francisco 49ers have a Brock Purdy versus Trey Lance problem heading into the 2023 NFL season. The Kyle Shanahan-led side has two of the best-rated young QB prospects in the NFL, and none of them are shoo-ins for the week one QB1 slot.
If Brock Purdy didn’t sustain an injury in the NFC Championship game loss against the Philadelphia Eagles, this wouldn’t be a competition. However, he did, and it looks likely that Trey Lance would be QB1 on week one in the 2023 NFL season.
Brock Purdy looks more suited to lead the 49ers to Super Bowl glory in 2023, as the Iowa State University product is a popular figure in the side’s locker room. Furthermore, he has that dog in him, a trait that neither Jimmy Garoppolo nor Trey Lance exhibited over the past two years. Let’s see if he returns to his pre-injury form; if he does, the 49ers have a gem on their hands.
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How did Brock Purdy perform in 2022?
The 2022 Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy had a stellar 2022 NFL season, which made a mockery of his draft position in the year’s NFL Draft.
Purdy finished the regular season throwing 1,374 yards for thirteen TDs and four picks. Purdy’s had a passer rating of 119.4 through his five games as a starter which is the highest for a QB in his first five starts since Kurt Warner in 1999.
His story was one of the highlights of the 2022 NFL season, and he came close to leading the 49ers on a fairytale run to the Super Bowl. Had it not been for an injury to his right elbow in the 49ers’ 31-7 loss to Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC title game, the fairytale run would have had a fairytale ending.
He started the year as QB3 behind Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo but ended up as the undisputed starter, even while Lance and Garoppolo had returned from injury. During the NFC title game, Purdy was diagnosed with a severe tear of his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), which left him unable to throw the ball more than ten yards. He is currently rehabbing the elbow.
How did Trey Lance perform in 2022?
Ahead of the 2022 NFL season, the San Francisco 49ers did what everyone expected them to do- they named Trey Lance the starter over Garoppolo for the 2022 season. However, the North Dakota State University shot caller only appeared in two contests before suffering a season-ending ankle injury against the Geno Smith-led Seattle Seahawks in Week Two.
Lance is back from injury and has been spotted partaking in OTAs. He finished the season with a stat line of 194 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception. He was sacked twice and fumbled the ball once.