There will be no shortage of takes on the 49ers’ quarterback position. Brock Purdy’s torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in the NFC championship made sure of that.
While Purdy is expected to make a full recovery, his surgery isn’t scheduled until February 22. He’s expected to be back for training camp, but it’s unclear exactly when in training camp that will be.
That begs the question, what do the 49ers do at quarterback?
George Kittle was asked that by Buffalo Bills edge rusher Von Miller on Thursday.
What about Trey Lance?
“Trey Lance is still there and Trey unfortunately has not really gotten a fair shot at being an NFL quarterback yet,” Kittle said. “He got a full rain game monsoon versus the Bears and he got hurt in the second game. So you know, Trey still got plenty of talent. He just needs to get out there and play.”
But Lance, despite his draft pedigree and the investment the 49ers made into him, has not yet been healthy in the NFL, at least when Kyle Shanahan gave him the reins.
Brock Purdy, however, proved he can play. From Kittle’s perspective, that’s what matters.
“But you can’t talk [enough] about what Brock Purdy did,” Kittle said. “He’s fantastic. Our offense was operating at the highest it’s probably been since 2019. So I mean, in my opinion, it’s Brock’s job to lose.”
“There will be competition because Brock’s gonna be out till training camp with his surgery. So it’s gonna be interesting. But when you find a guy like that, that can seamlessly jump in. I mean, I think it’s his job to lose.”
It’s a situation that will remain interesting over the summer as both Lance and Purdy recover from surgeries.
While Shanahan ruled out the return of Jimmy Garoppolo, it’s a safe bet to expect the 49ers to add a couple of quarterbacks for camp, one of whom could well be a veteran. All that said, if Kittle’s opinion is the same one held by Shanahan, it’s up to Lance to unseat Purdy.