As the losses continue to pile up, the calls for change continue to get louder and louder.
49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has played relatively well the last two weeks against the Arizona Cardinals and Chicago Bears, but the calls for Trey Lance have persisted.
The rookie made situational appearances in San Francisco's first few games of the season before making his first NFL start against the Cardinals in Week 5. A knee injury sidelined him for a week after the 49ers' bye in Week 6, and he has not seen the field in any capacity the previous two games.
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Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin joined 95.7 The Game's "Damon & Ratto" on Monday after the 49ers' frustrating loss to the Cardinals, and called on San Francisco to give Lance more reps the rest of the season.
“I don’t care how the rest of it goes or how you want to play the rest of it out, the rest of it must involve Trey Lance getting reps," Irvin said. "You can say that no matter what. Right now, I don't care what the game is, how it’s going, where it is, we’re going to get him some reps. That’s a statement I think they should be making and that’s a direction they should be going.”
The 49ers (3-5) have not lived up to expectations this season, and it's clear the team has obvious kinks that need to be worked out. If they were to start Lance, some have argued that losing and the growing pains of being a rookie quarterback could negatively impact his confidence.
“When I see him, because he’s such a superior athlete, those superior athletes have always relied on their athletic ability and have always been better than people," Irvin said. "I see him as an extremely confident person. The kind of confidence I would (compare to) Micah Parsons for Dallas. He brings a certain attitude to that Dallas defense, to that Dallas locker room. He’s a young guy. You have a bad game, you don’t worry about 'breaking him,' bad games will build him. Honestly, I don't think you have to worry about that with Trey Lance.”
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Throughout his limited action on the field during his rookie season, Lance has shown plenty of confidence when thrust into any situation. If Irvin is correct, Lance's confidence should carry him through the ups and downs of being a quarterback in the NFL.
Only time will tell if the 49ers give him more of an opportunity.