Shanahan clarifies old comments about Lance running football

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In the hours following Trey Lance’s season-ending ankle injury on Sunday, 49ers fans dug up an old quote by coach Kyle Shanahan.

In an interview with ESPN's Ed Werder last September, Shanahan addressed his plan for Lance, then a rookie, running the football.

"He's not Lamar Jackson," Shanahan said to Werder. "Trey is a quarterback who has the ability to run. But to just line him up and run him, I mean, the game's too physical."

On Monday, as Lance underwent successful surgery on his ankle and launched his long rehab process to be ready for the 2023 NFL season, reporters asked Shanahan to clarify that quote.

“Yeah, that means we didn't want to move him to running back," Shanahan said. "It means that everything's with a read principle and that you don't go out there and just run him every single play. He's a quarterback who can run.

"I also think that was in reference to asking if Trey could help us out at running back last year because of all our injuries to it. And no, we weren't going to move him there."

In the five quarters Lance played before his season ended, the 22-year-old quarterback had more rushing attempts (16) than completed passes (15). He also attempted as many passes (3) as rushes (3) before leaving Sunday's game, and tallied 37 carries over his previous three starts.

The 49ers' rushing attack will look much different without Lance's dual-threat capabilities on the field. That leaves even more of the responsibility to Jeff Wilson Jr., who started Sunday's game in Elijah Mitchell's absence. He finished with 18 carries for 84 yards against the Seahawks.

San Francisco's backfield is also dealing with an ankle injury to third-round pick Tyrion Davis-Price, which opens opportunities for undrafted rookie running back Jordan Mason and recent signing Marlon Mack.

As Lance begins rehabbing his ankle, the question looms on how the 49ers will use Lance in the running game moving forward.

For now, however, the 49ers plan to just have him around.

RELATED: What we can learn from Jimmy G's 2018 injury as Lance recovers

“I know some guys have been over there to already visit him, but yeah, we’re not sure yet, but as soon as he can get back in here and start rehabbing, we’re going to want him to be a part of everything,” Shanahan said. "Whenever he is not taking care of his ankle, we plan on him being with us.”

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