ESPN analysts break down 49ers QB dilemma

The San Francisco 49ers have had a mix of good talent and bad luck lately at quarterback.

Their first- and second-string quarterbacks, Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, dropped at different times during the regular season, forcing rookie Brock Purdy to be the starter.

Just when it looked like Purdy would be the team’s future franchise caller, he suffered a UCL tear in his elbow early in Sunday’s NFC Championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles, leaving the 49ers with a lot of uncertainty under the center.

Going forward, there’s no easy answer as to who will start there next season, and NFL Live explained exactly why.

Who should be QB1 of the future for the 49ers? 🤔

“There’s so much uncertainty with these two QBs.” —@minakimes pic.twitter.com/WZ95VW3WsC

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 2, 2023

Purdy played very well during his time at QB, and he showed the type of composure and confidence that rookie signallers rarely have.

He’s also shown a few skills that Garoppolo doesn’t have – the ability to get out of the pocket or evade defenders while finding his receivers, as well as the ability to connect on mid-to-long passes downfield.

By some metrics, Purdy has even outdone some household names since taking over from Garoppolo.

Jimmy G had arguably the best season of his career and Brock Purdy surpassed him in traditional box scoring, EPA and CPOE stats as a rookie.

Purdy is 23, makes $900,000 a year and should go on to become a better passer. 49ers struck gold with this one pic.twitter.com/coJTGZb3ZM

— Regression to the mean (@RTMFantasy) January 24, 2023

Brock Purdy hasn’t thrown an interception in 59 playoff attempts.

That’s by far the most attempts by a rookie in NFL playoff history without throwing an interception. pic.twitter.com/eEXQmGKEaz

— ESPN Stats and Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 25, 2023

However, he will have to undergo surgery for his torn UCL, and depending on the type of surgery he needs, he could be out for six months to more than a full calendar year.

Lance may one day become a good QB, but he has played little competitive football so far as he lost a full season of college football due to the COVID-19 pandemic and only played eight games. in two NFL seasons.

As for Garoppolo, head coach Kyle Shanahan said this week he doesn’t see the veteran returning to San Francisco for another season.

The 49ers are brimming with talent overall, but at the most important position in all team sports, it’s unclear what will happen when the 2023 season begins.