49ers run Trey Lance too much, suffers injury vs. Seahawks

The 49ers suffered a massive blow when Trey Lance exited Week 2 against the Seahawks with what appears to be a serious ankle injury.

One of the things the San Francisco 49ers liked about quarterback Trey Lance was his dual-threat rushing capabilities, which head coach Kyle Shanahan figured to use a lot amid Lance’s first year as a full-time starter.

And it appears as if that ploy has come back to haunt Shanahan and the Niners.

With San Francisco leading the visiting Seattle Seahawks 3-0 in both teams’ Week 2 matchup at Levi’s Stadium, Shanahan regularly called for quarterback-power runs with Lance over the course of the first quarter, three times for 13 yards in that brief span.

But, perhaps, one too many.

At the 2:33 mark of the first quarter, on yet another inside rush, Lance suffered an apparent ankle injury after being tackled for a 2-yard gain by Seahawks linebacker Cody Barton. Down on the field in a lot of pain, Lance required a cart to take him off the field.

A still-shot of the injury didn’t look good either:

Certainly a devastating blow for the signal-caller whom the 49ers aggressively traded up for back in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Jimmy Garoppolo now in for Trey Lance with 49ers hosting Seahawks

In what was something of a shocking post-preseason development, the Niners ultimately elected to retain their long-time veteran starting quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, instead of either trading or releasing him, which was previously the speculation.

Garoppolo, staying on a reduced one-year contract, didn’t partake in offseason practices with the team but still has the familiarity with the bulk of his offensive weapons, which hopefully translates into a relatively smooth transition for the rest of Week 2.

Read More: Chris Simms says prominent 49ers want Jimmy G over Trey Lance

Perhaps longer, assuming Lance winds up missing a significant amount of time.

This will ultimately favor the camp that supported Garoppolo sticking with San Francisco, either in a starting role or a high-profile backup.

At least based on Lance’s early exit because of injury, perhaps the 49ers’ decision to go with that route was a smart one.

Even if pushing Lance into a lot of inside runs early this year wasn’t.