The 49ers could be turning to rookie quarterback Trey Lance this Sunday against the Houston Texans in a game full of playoff implications. If that is the case, offensive lineman Laken Tomlinson doesn't sound too concerned.
"I was extremely impressed with the couple of games that he got to play early on in the year," Tomlinson said Tuesday morning on KNBR. "Just the way he handled his business and went out there and operated the offense.
"A lot of guys are excited for him and what he can do with this offense."
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Lance, 21, hasn't appeared in a game since carrying the ball three times in Week 11. His last significant snaps came in Week 5 when he started for an injured Garoppolo against the Arizona Cardinals. Lance completed 15 of his 29 pass attempts for 192 yards. He didn't throw a touchdown and was intercepted once.
The dual-threat rookie QB also carried the ball 16 times for a team-high 89 yards against Arizona.
On the season, the No. 3 pick from the 2021 NFL Draft has thrown for 354 yards and three touchdowns in five games. He has completed 52.1 percent of his passes and has been intercepted once. Lance also has rushed for 137 yards and one TD.
Garoppolo reportedly has a torn right thumb ligament and a fracture. He reportedly is going to try to play this Sunday, and the 49ers said they will re-evaluate his status on Wednesday. Quarterbacks who have dealt with the same injury have missed multiple weeks in the past.
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Tomlinson went on to say Lance is looking better every day, and is a "real coachable guy."
"We love to see it, especially a guy that young doing all those different things," Tomlinson said. "It's very exciting."
The veteran O-lineman's words of encouragement only echo those of head coach Kyle Shanahan.
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“[It] is all scout team, but the same plays as us,” Shanahan said Monday via conference call. “That just shows how consistently he has been throwing the ball, how he is moving, his accuracy, his decisions, everything.
“You have to do a lot of stuff, and try stuff you normally wouldn’t do all the time, not on scout team. And I think if you talk to the defensive coaches, defensive players or myself watching it, I think we'd all feel the same.”