by Alana Mei Gonsalves
Who will start as quarterback for the Niners? There are several arguments on who should start, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet. The San Francisco 49ers were looking for a new quarterback after Garropolo missed numerous games in 2020 due to many injuries and finally taking over as the starting quarterback.
The Miami Dolphins acquired the 12th overall pick in 2021, a third-round pick that year, and first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 in exchange for the Niners moving up nine spots to third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Niners paid a lot of money to get Trey Lance, who played at North Dakota State University. North Dakota State was undefeated in Trey Lance’s appearances. His collegiate career began with the Bison’s 39-game winning run. Lance entered the 2021 season as the backup quarterback to starter Jimmy Garoppolo, but made his NFL debut in a 41-33 away victory over the Detroit Lions. He played six more games until Garropolo was cleared to participate. Lance began the 2022 season. He played one full game before fracturing his ankle in week two against the Seattle Seahawks. The Niners maintained Jimmy G, but as a QB2. They won that game 27-7.
It wasn’t long until Garropolo got injured, so they had to play with their third string quarterback Brock Purdy. Purdy was drafted 262nd overall as a third string quarterback in 2022 for the SanFrancisco 49ers, which now gives him the name “Mr.Irrelevant”. Week 13 of the 2022 season during the Miami Dolphins game, Purdy relieved niners and it wasn’t long until Garropolo got injured, forcing them to play with third-string quarterback Brock Purdy.
He played quarterback for Iowa State and was one of the greatest quarterbacks in Cyclone history by his senior year. Purdy took over for injured quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13 of the 2022 season against the Miami Dolphins. Purdy completed 25-of-37 throws for 210 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception to lead the Niners to victory. Purdy remains unbeaten all the way to the NFC title game.Purdy has put up 1,943 passing yards and 16 touchdowns on 155 completions since taking over. Unfortunately, after six years with the Niners, the Raiders signed former 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a three-year, $72.75 million contract to replace Dereck Carr following the 2022 season.
The question now is who will start the season. The Niners currently have three quarterbacks on the roster: Brock Purdy, Trey Lance, and Sam Donald. “We’ve got three guys who can play, and there’s only one spot, and we have a good team,” said Shanahan. From what it looks like now Trey Lance will stay as our third string QB because he still has many more things to learn about being in an NFL game. There are several opinions on who should start, Lance or Purdy.
The argument for Lance beginning is that we sacrificed a lot to secure the third overall pick in the 2021 draft, and we have yet to see his full potential. The argument against him starting is that he is constantly hurt, and what he has shown us about how he can play isn’t all that impressive. Lance most likely failed to clinch the backup role behind Brock Purdy in the Raiders’ preseason game on Sunday. He ended 10 of 15 for 112 yards against the Raiders, rallying late to make his stats appear decent. He also had four sacks and was fortunate not to have two interceptions, one of which was in the end zone.
Sam Darnold spent his previous five years with the Jets. Darnold has completed approximately 59.7 percent of his ball attempts and has a completion rate of about 60% after five seasons in the NFL. He has a 21-35 record in his NFL career, despite not having a great team. The true question is whether Lance or Darnold should be our backup.
The majority of Niners fans believe that Purdy should start due to his incredible out of nowhere stats going 12-0 winning streak until the Niners last playoff game against the Eagles. Purdy became the first rookie in NFL history to score four touchdowns in a playoff game.Many claim that he has already reached his maximum potential, yet he still has a lot of space to grow because this was only his first season. Purdy suffered an elbow injury in the 49ers’ NFC Championship Game defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles.On March 10, the 49ers quarterback underwent surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
Purdy will start, Darnold will be the backup, and Lance will be the third string quarterback. With Darnold as Brock Purdy’s backup, San Francisco is reportedly considering Trey Lance. Many supporters believe he should be exchanged for anything of worth. At the end of the day, Coach Shannahan made the decision that he believes is best for the Niners future.
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