49ers training camp: Trey Lance ‘super excited’ for Saturday’s pro debut
The 49ers went through their penultimate practice Wednesday before their exhibition opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.
SANTA CLARA — Trey Lance is “super excited” for his 49ers’ debut in Saturday’s exhibition opener.
That is not just because Kansas City Chiefs counterpart — and dual-threat role model — Patrick Mahomes will be coming to Levi’s Stadium.
Is Lance anxious to meet him, though?
“I guess we’ll see what happens. I’m trying to win the game,” Lance said Wednesday.
Neither coach Kyle Shanahan nor offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel have announced Lance’s upcoming role, such as whether he’ll relieve incumbent starter Jimmy Garoppolo, who may or may not play.
“Excited to go compete with this locker room of guys, and, at the same time, everything is new,” Lance said. “From the hotel the night before the game to pregame warmup, everything is going to be new. But football is football.”
Also new will be playing in a game and hearing play calls come into his helmet via Shanahan’s radio.
He’s practiced that in a camp he described as “going very well.”
Like Mahomes, Lance comes into the NFL with an impressive arm and mobility, which are quite useful to escape the trouble that comes behind second-string offensive linemen. He took off running downfield five times Wednesday. He also kept his eyes wide open, looking for potential targets and firing off accurate passes, eventually completing 15-of-20 passes.
Enter: Humility.
“Obviously I want to keep my eyes downfield and get the ball into the hands of the playmakers,” Lance said. “Those guys are much faster and more dynamic than I am.”
What does McDaniel want to see in Lance’s debut?
“Shoot, he hasn’t heard play calls in a (NFL) stadium with fans ever,” McDaniel said of Lance. “Whether he’s outstanding or has rough patches, it’s a process.”
Lance acknowledged that one such rough patch came earlier this week in a goal-line drill, in which he threw short of the goal line on fourth down. Simply put, Lance is excited to get another second crack at that.
Even though Shanahan vowed to reporters last week that Lance will be play this season in some capacity — perhaps in specialized run packages — Lance has yet to hear that directly from him, adding that all his current focus is on training camp.
One aspect that opened Lance’s eyes is how fast tight end George Kittle is, to which Kittle replied: “Oh Trey. He’s 21 years old. He’ll learn at some point and throw the ball out there.”
As loyal as Kittle is to Jimmy Garoppolo, he didn’t downplay Lance’s upbeat presence — something Kittle and other teammates experienced in a Las Vegas jaunt this offseason.
“Trey’s great. Great personality. Plenty of energy. Good vibe,” Kittle said. “He’s definitely a 21-year-old. I connect with him now and I bet we would have been best friends if I was 21. … He’s very professional every day and he enjoys it.”
Lance played just one game last season at North Dakota State, after leading the Bison to an undefeated run to the Football Championship Subdivision crown in 2019. He hasn’t looked too rusty or compiled too many rookie mistakes.
“We don’t harp too much on what happens. It’s all about getting better,” McDaniel added. “Continuous mistakes are worrisome. There’s nothing we’re worried about.”
Lance, for the second time this camp, made a one-snap cameo behind the first-string offensive line, and instead of running with the ball, he handed off to rookie rusher Trey Sermon.
TAKEAWAY TIME
Garoppolo was 13-of-22 and had his first practice in which two passes got intercepted — by Dre Greenlaw and Jason Verrett. K’Waun Williams nearly intercepted Garoppolo until a collision with Greenlaw knocked the ball to the ground.
Rookie safety Talanoa Hufanga intercepted a deep pass by Josh Rosen, a grab in which defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans said: “I jumped up with him when he made that play.”
Ryans said takeaways are highlighted during film review, adding: “Everything we do is about taking the ball away. That’s the main focus. When we get takeaways, our chances of winning goes up tremendously.”
The pass defense looked solid all day, mostly with the reserve unit. Arik Armstead (groin) and Dee Ford (back) took part in a few snaps. D.J. Jones deflected a Garoppolo pass that Greenlaw intercepted. Rookie cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, who’s lining up on the second team, made a timely pass breakup. Eric Yarborough, Jordan Willis, Kevin Givens and Zach Kerr had solid pass rushes.
JALEN HURD RETURNS
Wide receiver Jalen Hurd returned after a two-practice absence, doing so with support tape on his right kne. He did not have a pass come his way in about seven snaps during full-team drills, including one with the first-team unit.
PRACTICE PLAN
The 49ers practice once more on Thursday before taking Friday off ahead of the exhibition opener against the Kansas City Chiefs at Levi’s Stadium. Kickoff is 5:30 p.m. Saturday, and a capacity crowd will be allowed in for the first time there since the 2019 season’s NFC Championship Game.
ONE RECEIVER EXITS
Kevin White got released prior to practice, scuttling an attempt to revive his career with the 49ers over the past year. White was the No. 7 overall draft pick in 2015 by the Chicago Bears. He played in three games but with just nine offensive snaps last year for the 49ers, also spending time on their practice squad.
White spent most of this training camp buried on a still-suspect depth chart among wide receivers. He had a reception on a Nate Sudfeld pass in Tuesday’s session
NEW ADDITIONS
The 49ers signed Ha-Ha Clinton Dix as they’re without three safeties: Jaquiski Tartt, Tarvarius Moore and Tony Jefferson.
“We needed more depth. Ha-Ha is a guy who’s started in this league and played good ball,” Ryans said.
Clinton-Dix played with Green Bay, Washington and Chicago, and he was cut by the Dallas Cowboys after training camp last year.
Linebacker Donald Payne (5-foot-11, 217 pounds) was signed to a one-year deal. He’s spent time since 2017 with the Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington and the Miami Dolphins.