Kyle Shanahan laid out his plan for Trey Lance in preseason bout vs. Raiders

The 49ers kick off their 2023 preseason against the Raiders, and it appears as if Trey Lance will get the start under center.

The San Francisco 49ers open up their 2023 preseason campaign on Sunday with an afternoon match against the Las Vegas Raiders with whom they engaged in two joint practices and scrimmages.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan has commented about how he prefers not to play his starters if they've gone up against teams in such practices, meaning the bulk (if not all) of the Niners' first-team units will be out of uniform and on the sidelines for Sunday's exhibition tilt.

Including quarterback Brock Purdy, who has all but been crowned as San Francisco's starter moving forward.

Shanahan hinted at Purdy not playing on Sunday already, and the head coach then confirmed to KNBR 680 that Purdy would indeed sit the game out.

That'll leave the 49ers' three other quarterbacks vying for roles and positions on the depth chart: Brandon Allen, Sam Darnold and Trey Lance.

Kyle Shanahan says Trey Lance will start for 49ers vs. Raiders

In addition to declaring Purdy to the bench in Week 1 of the preseason, Shanahan also said his plan was to give Lance, the No. 3 overall pick from the 2021 NFL Draft, the start on Sunday against Las Vegas.

"We're trying to plan on giving Trey most of the first half and Sam most of the second half," the head coach pointed out. "We wanted to balance it out that way."

Purdy worked almost exclusively with the first-team offense during the joint practices, while Lance and Darnold mostly split second-team reps. With Purdy out, Lance has a shot to regain some ground in the quarterback competition.

Even if his prospects for starting are dim, at best.

The No. 2 spot on the depth chart behind Purdy is still very much up for grabs, and some reporters and insiders have already argued that Lance is putting together a better showing during training camp than his primary competitor, Darnold.

Yet a few preseason games could ultimately change the narrative, swinging things back in Darnold's favor.

For now, though, Lance has the first go at being successful in this preseason start.

The 49ers and Raiders kick off on Sunday, Aug. 13 at 4 p.m. ET from Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.

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