Mechanics are important for any NFL quarterback, and Trey Lance is no different.
But an injury sustained last season by the 49ers’ then-rookie quarterback impacted his development more than most fans knew.
Kyle Shanahan revealed to KNBR’s “Murph & Mac” on Wednesday that when Lance broke his finger during San Francisco’s last game of the 2021 preseason, it didn’t heal correctly and impacted the way he threw the ball moving forward.
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“I think what Trey had to go through was recovering from injuries in the offseason,” Shanahan said, noting that even quarterbacks like Tom Brady routinely have to work on their mechanics in the summer.
But what Lance had to overcome is different from most of his peers’ offseason programs.
“He played with a broken finger that never healed last year, so he had to completely change his grip and do things differently, and that took time to rehab from that,” Shanahan said.
The 49ers coach added that Lance’s injury, which occurred in his right index finger, wasn’t necessarily a bad break, but “didn’t totally heal right” and he wasn’t able to bend it. While that might have led to some bad throwing habits, Shanahan is excited to be working with a fully-healthy Lance now in camp.
San Francisco 49ers
“When you’re going through a season and just trying to keep up with everything, it started to change and he had to adjust to it,” Shanahan said. “[It] created a few issues toward the end of the year, but that’s why it was fun to get his finger healthy and start working on those as soon as he got in the offseason."
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In his limited action during the 2021 season, Lance still produced encouraging results despite battling through a broken finger that hadn’t healed correctly.
Now that his throwing hand is 100 percent, the 49ers certainly have to feel good about what he could accomplish this year.