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49ers' Trey Lance Expected to Miss 1 Week with Finger Injury, Kyle Shanahan Says
August 30, 2021
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Monday that rookie quarterback Trey Lance will miss approximately seven days because he suffered a small chip fracture in his finger during Sunday's preseason win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
"We'll see how it feels tomorrow when we can tell a little bit more but not too worried about it at all," Lance said after the game.
San Francisco selected Lance with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft after trading with the Miami Dolphins to move up from No. 12 on March 26.
Mass speculation ensued regarding what the 49ers would do with the pick, with Lance, Ohio State's Justin Fields or Alabama's Mac Jones the top three presumed options.
In the end, it was Lance, who 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said was the pick all along.
The 21-year-old completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 28 touchdowns and no interceptions during his one full season as North Dakota State's starter in 2019. He also rushed for 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns as he led the undefeated Bison to the Division I-FCS title.
The B/R NFL Scouting Department ranked Lance third among quarterbacks and sixth overall on its class of 2021 big board. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network placed him seventh on his board.
The Marshall, Minnesota native joined a 49ers team that anointed Jimmy Garoppolo as the team's future at the quarterback position when they traded for the ex-Northern Illinois star in Oct. 2017 in a deal with the New England Patriots.
Garoppolo went 5-0 down the stretch for the 2017 49ers but suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Week 2 of the 2018 campaign. He then led the team to the NFC title after an excellent 2019, but a pair of high-ankle sprains forced him to miss 10 games in 2020.
The 29-year-old is no longer the future in San Francisco, but he is the present as the team waits to hand the keys of the franchise to Lance.
Without Lance, though, the team figures to look toward Nate Sudfield to fill out the quarterback depth chart behind Garoppolo for the time being.