Trey Lance must experience growing pains in 49ers training camp

Trey Lance definitely looked better in the second week of 49ers training camp than the first week, yet his struggles are still apparently there.

Two things can be equally true with regards to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance.

For starters, it’s possible for the 2021 No. 3 overall NFL Draft pick to show some serious improvement from the first week of Niners training camp into the second week, and there have been plenty of camp reports to suggest that’s happening.

In contrast, but also existing in parallel, it’s also possible for him to have bad days.

Sunday’s practice, which effectively closed out Week 2 of training camp, was easily Lance’s worst session yet. According to The Athletic’s David Lombardi, the quarterback posted a measly 4-of-12 passing with an ugly interception tossed to linebacker Fred Warner, accompanied by a near pick by cornerback Charvarius Ward.

Lance had started off the session going 3-of-3.

Interceptions had been something of a daily thing for Lance over the first week of camp, yet he managed to cut down on those for the first three or so practices of Week 2, which was a positive development.

And while the highlight-reel throws haven’t waned at all, some of those interceptions seem to be returning with just days remaining before San Francisco opens up its 2022 preseason against the Green Bay Packers on Friday, Aug. 12.

What is Trey Lance struggling with in training camp?

A number of observations point to Lance dealing with correctable issues, but there are also some problems beyond his control.

Case in point, Lance is still working behind a makeshift and yet-to-have-starters-determined offensive line, which isn’t exactly a recipe for success when tasked with facing off against a stout 49ers pass rush. That’s been a common theme for much of camp.

Beyond that, Warner has seemingly been a regular at intercepting Lance. He had a pick off the quarterback earlier last week and also added another late in Week 1.

Whatever Lance is missing in the middle of the field, Warner is taking advantage but also teaching the quarterback a lesson or two.

Additionally, as Lombardi pointed out, those short- and intermediate-area throws towards the sidelines have been problematic:

Lance has usually been able to make up for those mistakes with better throws down the field, but that certainly wasn’t the case on Sunday.

Why it’s good for Trey Lance to struggle a bit in 49ers training camp

For starters, the Niners do own a pretty solid defense. That group will turn from his enemy right now into his friend once the regular season begins. And it’s feasible to predict Lance won’t be having to face off against elite-level defenses when the games start to mean something.

However, it’s important Lance winds up experiencing some of these challenges early. During his collegiate tenure at North Dakota State, Lance tossed only one interception over his 19 games played.

So, minus the adversity that was rare in college, Lance will get the valuable lesson of how pro-level quarterbacks bounce back from shortcomings in the NFL.

And, as Jordan Elliott of Niners Nation pointed out:

"Completion percentage numbers from training camp aren’t nearly as important as the incremental progress being made day to day. It’s evident things are moving in the right direction, and there is tangible progress being made.It is clear as day how much better Lance has looked after the tenth practice compared to what I saw to start camp."

That’s valuable, and it probably needs to be echoed in terms of providing an accurate assessment of where Lance is right now.

If Lance was blowing away the competition in camp, those lessons wouldn’t be learned. He might enter the regular season with a little too much confidence and not having as clear an understanding of how to bounce back from said adversity.

Plus, there are going to be the benefits of squaring off against a top-level defense, taking away what it might take to beat units like the one San Francisco appears to have in 2022.

While the growing pains might be at times frustrating in camp, Lance getting those lessons out of the way now should pay off handsomely during the regular season and in future years.