The San Francisco 49ers quarterback position remains up in the air for another offseason following Brock Purdy’s March elbow surgery.
As Purdy rehabs, Trey Lance and Sam Darnold battle for No. 2 duties and the chance to start if the 2022 Mr. Irrelevant can’t open the season.
Tight end George Kittle told NFL Network’s Good Morning Football on Tuesday, the Niners should be Lombardi contenders regardless of how the QB situation shakes out.
“Two things for you. I think this is my fifth year in a row about QB questions in the offseason. It’s incredible. I wouldn’t want anything else," Kittle said jokingly. “Besides that, I think that John Lynch and Kyle (Shanahan) have done a great job of creating this roster with depth. Also, with players at multiple positions that whatever happens at the quarterback position, we have a chance to win a lot of football games.
"We are in prime position to get back to that game (NFC Championship Game) that we lost last year. You know for Nick Bosa, Trent Williams, Deebo Samuel, , Kyle Juszczyk, Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell, Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Charvarius Ward, Talanoa Hufanga and , we have so many guys on this team that can play at a high level. Arik Armstead, goodness gracious, we have so many good players.”
Given how previous seasons have unfolded in San Francisco, it’s hard to pick nits at Kittle’s take.
The Niners have a talented roster and, in the NFC, should be in position for another deep postseason run. Shanahan’s ability to coax solid play from the quarterback position, regardless of who is under center, makes the uncertainty less of a worry.
“Yes, having a fantastic quarterback will help us out a lot because it’s the most important position in probably sports,” Kittle said. “But, we have three or four guys right now that can sling the ball a little bit. Brock Purdy went on an 8-0 tear last year. So, hopefully, he is feeling better and back to his normal self. Trey Lance is taking steps forward, I think he’s more than suitable to play quarterback for us. He had some great reps at OTAs and we connected on a couple big plays. He connected with Aiyuk on a couple big plays. Then, Sam Darnold, he threw some good balls, too. He connected on big plays with Aiyuk and with me and other tight ends. The quarterbacks will get some reps in this training camp, get a feel for everybody and let’s just go play some football.”