The fight to support Brock Purdy is reportedly over.
NFL Media reports that the 49ers will have Sam Darnold at No. 2 spot behind Purdy to start the regular season. Darnold signed with the team this offseason after ineffective runs as a starter for the Jets and Panthers.
Darnold is competing with Trey Lance in a battle with the former third overall pick. Lance is in his third year with the team, so he enters the competition with more experience in Kyle Shanahan’s system. That wasn’t enough for him to establish himself as the next man up for the defending NFC West champions, though.
In many cases, losing a backup job is the end of a quarterback’s run on their current team. A change in NFL rules that allow for the use of an emergency quarterback if teams keep three of their 53-man roster could change that, especially with the 49ers aware the dangers of finding yourself without a healthy quarterback in the middle of a game are great. .
Next week will bring an answer to Lance’s immediate future with the team, but it’s clear it hasn’t panned out like the 49ers expected when they traded up to get him in 2021.