The San Francisco 49ers were one of the best teams in the NFL last season, making it all the way to the NFC Championship Game. They’ll be returning many of the same players in 2023, and hopes are high as the team is one of the Super Bowl hopefuls.
But despite all of the talent that the team has on its roster, there is still a big question mark at the most important position in the sport. The 49ers quarterback situation has been discussed and dissected plenty as people try to figure out what the team’s plan is for their signal callers.
3 Bold Predictions For San Francisco 49ers In 2023
Update: #49ers QB Brock Purdy has thrown 10 INTs in Training Camp so far, according to @LombardiHimself
He had 2 INTs in today’s practice, with another potential interception, dropped.https://t.co/Kf8kA7wUqj
(@AryePulli)https://t.co/mife7cAMS9 pic.twitter.com/Eli2RcDTlT
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 16, 2023
Whoever winds up getting the starting job had better be ready to have immense weight and pressure sitting on his shoulders.
Here are 3 bold predictions for the San Francisco 49ers in 2023:
1. Trey Lance Gets Traded
Trey Lance was the 3rd overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and he may leave San Francisco without ever truly getting a fair shot at being the team’s quarterback of teh future.
The 49ers gave up plenty of assets for the rights to pick Lance. But because of unfortunate injuries in each of his first two seasons, he has thrown just 102 passes in his career, resulting in 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He’s made just 4 official starts, and it is likely that he doesn’t make another.
It is likely that Brock Purdy comes out of training camp having won the starting job for San Francisco, meaning more time for Lance on the bench.
But not for long. I believe that the 49ers are going to trade Trey Lance before the mid-season deadline. They have something of a log jam at quarterback, with Sam Darnold also being a part of the mix. The now-veteran QB could likely find a job as a backup somewhere, but he is currently listed as 3rd on the depth chart. It is unlikely that he signed with the 49ers to be the third option, and perhaps he was given word that the team would move on from one of the other two signal callers.
San Francisco will be patient and wait for the team that is 3-3 and having quarterback health issues to come calling.
“Trey Lance is what happens to 75 percent of QBs drafted. He’s the league average.”
— @ColinCowherd on what to make of the 49ers’ QB pic.twitter.com/s4VhExIVFv
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) August 17, 2023
2. Back To NFC Championship Game
This isn’t as much a nod to the dominance of the 49ers as it is to the lackluster rosters put together by the rest of the NFC.
The conference figures to be extremely weak in comparison to the AFC this year. Much of the elite quarterback talent is in the other conference, and 7 of the 10 teams with the shortest Super Bowl odds are AFC teams. In fact, there are only a couple of teams that can challenge the 49ers in any way.
That is why I think they’ll make it back to the NFC Championship Game with relative ease. Will they be able to get past the juggernaut that is the Eagles this time around?
#49ers injury report per Kyle Shanahan:
TE George Kittle (adductor strain)
LB Dre Greenlaw (hamstring)
DE Drake Jackson (hamstring) pic.twitter.com/0B8MrJZpeQ— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) August 10, 2023
3. Kittle Continues Regression
There was a time not too long ago when George Kittle was in the conversation for best tight end in the NFL. But gone are his 1,000 yard receving seasons, as his usage and other numbers have dipped over the last few seasons.
After being targeted 136 and 107 times in 2018 and 2019, Kittle saw just 86 balls thrown his way last season. His 765 yards were more than 600 less than his career high set back in 2018, and he had the shortest yards per target number that he’s had since his rookie year.
He has also been dealing with an injury bug during the preseason. Kittle has been on a week-to-week basis with an adductor strain, and will apparently be out for the next one, too. It is unclear whether he will be ready to go for Week 1 against the Steelers.
He is still going to be in the top-10 in most productive, but Kittle being considered one of the best in the game is over.
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