SANTA CLARA -- On Friday, Kyle Shanahan might have been the most direct he’s ever been regarding the status of the 49ers quarterbacks room.
After repeatedly saying that there isn’t a competition between Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance, the head coach revealed that the No. 3 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft will get snaps for the 49ers this season.
“Trey is going to play for us this year,” Shanahan said. “Whether it’s - I know you’re all going to run to Twitter. Situationally he is going to get plays. That doesn’t mean he is going to be the starter or anything. He is going to get plays and you have to prepare him for that in every way possible."
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SIGN UP HERE Through the first half of training camp, the rookie quarterback has been exemplifying why the 49ers' brain trust believed they needed to trade the farm in order to draft the future of their team. Dynamic as a runner as well as showing arm strength and accuracy, Lance has been wow-ing his teammates, fans and the media.
Shanahan publicly has been reserved in his evaluations of the play-caller but has shared that he is pleased with Lance’s progress thus far. The head coach was still adamant that there isn’t a quarterback controversy or competition, but then added, that ultimately there always is.
“You’re just trying put in an offense,” Shanahan said. “Guys go out there and play football. It sounds [like a] coach cliché but the twos in every group are trying to surpass the ones and I see Trey the same way.
“Yes, it’s the quarterback position and everyone is looking at that, but we are in a situation where I don’t see them competing.”
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Shanahan and general manager John Lynch’s biggest criticism of Garoppolo has been his availability. The veteran quarterback only has appeared in 31 regular-season games and three in the postseason since his arrival in the middle of the 2017 season.
Through eight training camp practices, Garoppolo has taken all first-team reps except one. Shanahan later explained the reason Lance was on the field was an install of a run play that the starting offensive line needed to experience.
For now, it appears that the starting quarterback job belongs to Garoppolo, but obviously everything is subject to change.