San Francisco 49ers fans need not be reminded of the massive bust Trey Lance was and everything the team gave up to get him. But Lance looked good in preseason action for the Los Angeles Chargers, and head coach Jim Harbaugh may be responsible.
The former head coach of the Niners seemingly has a way of getting the best out of his quarterbacks. Niners fans will recall how Alex Smith's career completely flipped around once Harbaugh took over back in 2011.
Maybe he is doing it all over again with Lance.
Trey Lance swapped in for Alex Smith, 14 years later. Time is a flat circle https://t.co/jCc1mAxoWg
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) August 1, 2025
In the Hall of Fame game, Lance completed 13 of his 20 pass attempts for 120 yards and two touchdowns. He made accurate throws and looked comfortable out there, which is different from how many people are used to seeing Lance when he is on a football field.
Last month in practice for the Chargers, there were already signs Lance was struggling. When it was announced Lance would be getting the start for the annual Hall of Fame game kicking off the preseason, it was easy to assume things would go poorly.
Yet, Lance showed positive signs. Despite this, he is not going to challenge Justin Herbert for his job any time soon. Still, solid play in the preseason could earn him a spot on the team at the very least.
Last season with the Dallas Cowboys, Lance completed 25 of his 41 pass attempts for 266 yards with one interception and no touchdowns. That was his first regular season action in the NFL since 2022 with San Francisco.
If anyone can turn Lance around, it is probably Harbaugh. He is an eccentric coach, but he has a proven track record of getting a lot out of his signal-callers. If he could get Lance turned around to the point where he is even a viable backup, that would probably be Harbaugh's most astounding feat considering Lance has seemed on the precipice of obscurity for several years.
It is just one game, though. One preseason game, at that. Some 49ers fans are old enough to remember when Lance threw a 76-yard touchdown pass in the first game of the 2022 preseason, and some people were ready to anoint him as a superstar.
But with how rough Lance's NFL journey has been to this point, he deserves to celebrate the victories no matter how small.
Maybe having Harbaugh in his corner is just the thing he needs to get his career on track.