Florio believes ‘vibe’ from 49ers has Darnold slated for QB2 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
With Brock Purdy taking a majority of the 49ers’ practice snaps at quarterback when he’s on the field, fellow signal-callers Trey Lance, Sam Darnold and Brandon Allen are using the remaining reps to fight for their spots on the depth chart.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio believes he knows where each of San Francisco’s QBs will end up when all is said and done, despite the 49ers having just three days of practice under their belt.
“And the vibe definitely coming from the team is that Sam Darnold is QB2 and Trey Lance is QB3,” Florio told Chris Simms on Wednesday’s episode of “PFT Live.” “And they intend to keep [Lance] around because last year, QB3 became QB1.”
Purdy earned the role of locker room leader with his performance during the 2022 NFL season, helping the 49ers reach the NFC Championship Game in the second half when he took over in Week 13 after injuries to Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. He was fully cleared to practice this week after a March surgery to repair the torn UCL in his throwing elbow, an injury sustained on San Francisco’s first drive of the title game.
Now, with the addition of Darnold on a one-year contract in free agency, both he and Lance are eager for a chance to show they can make an impact at the NFL level, with Purdy set to start Week 1 and beyond — if he remains healthy and continues to play well. Because as last season showed, anything can happen at the QB position.
The 49ers like Darnold’s arm talent and are pleased with the work a fully healthy Lance put in over the offseason. But coach Kyle Shanahan also said this week that the 49ers will continue carrying four QBs in camp after he walked away from Allen’s OTAs performance “extremely impressed.”
And while Florio is sensing vibes, which of the three lands the backup role behind Purdy remains a mystery.
