49ers' Kyle Shanahan Downplays Reports of Trey Lance Developing Sore Arm at Practice
July 26, 2022
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has downplayed reports that Trey Lance developed a sore arm earlier this offseason.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Shanahan noted every quarterback he's ever coached has had arm soreness and that he isn't concerned it will be an issue for Lance.
Earlier this month, NFL Network's Michael Silver and radio host Colin Cowherd said on The Colin Cowherd Podcast (h/t All 49ers' Grant Cohn) that Lance had "arm fatigue" as he worked on rebuilding his throwing mechanics.
The 49ers have disputed any notion that Lance's arm was giving him problems. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who has been training with Lance, posted a video on Instagram of himself catching three deep passes from Lance with a cheeky caption.
"The only three throws from the day, his arm got fatigued after that…" Aiyuk wrote.
Several 49ers players, including George Kittle, Trey Sermon and Trent Williams, got in on the fun in the comments section by responding with laughing emojis.
In June, after a practice during organized team activities, Lance spoke to reporters and clarified that he wasn't completely altering his throwing motion:
"I know everyone has their opinion on it, but for me, it's about getting the ball out, accuracy. Like I said, it's a lot different working down there or working away from the building because you're working primarily as a thrower, not necessarily as a quarterback. So there's little things that you change when you get back here just from a timing standpoint, from an eye standpoint, little things like that, but no major changes for me."
Shanahan also said Tuesday what everyone has expected since the end of the 2021 season.
"Jimmy [Garoppolo] knows we're going with Trey," Shanahan said. "Trey knows we're going with Trey. The team knows we're going with Trey, and everyone likes both of those guys. It is what it is."
Garoppolo's future remains up in the air, though ESPN's Adam Schefter reported last week the 49ers gave his agents permission to seek a trade since he was cleared to start practicing after undergoing shoulder surgery in March.
Despite whispers the 49ers might stick with Garoppolo in 2022 after reaching the NFC Championship Game last season, it always made sense for Lance to become the starting quarterback.
San Francisco traded two first-round picks and a third-rounder to the Miami Dolphins to acquire the No. 3 overall pick and select Lance in the 2021 draft. He appeared in six games, including two starts when Garoppolo was injured, as a rookie.
Lance threw for 603 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions and a 57.7 completion percentage.