Kittle admits Lance looks ‘significantly better' than last year

Heading into his third NFL season, Trey Lance once again is competing for the 49ers' starting quarterback job.

Lance began the 2022 season as San Francisco's Week 1 starter against the Chicago Bears before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2. Lance then was replaced by veteran Jimmy Garoppolo who eventually was replaced by rookie seventh-round phenom Brock Purdy.

Heading into the 2023 season, Purdy, if he recovers from surgery to repair a torn UCL in time for the start of the season, is believed to be the favorite to start under center for the 49ers, while Lance the former No. 3 pick is competing for the starting job for the third summer in a row.

In speaking to reporters at 49ers OTAs on Tuesday, tight end George Kittle praised Lance for his progress on the field.

"I'm not going to lie to you guys, I think Trey looks significantly better than he did last year, I really do," Kittle said. "I think his confidence is there, I think that he's throwing really good passes.

"Just watching him, he just looks so much more confident in the pocket and I really appreciate that from him from all the work that he's put into it ... he just looks comfortable back there, he just looks like he's having fun and I really appreciate that from him, because when he's out there having a good time, it definitely brings up everyone around him."

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Having watched the 49ers from the sidelines last season rattle off 12 straight wins before losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, Lance finally is healthy and back on the field with his teammates. Although he might not be the favorite to win the starting job, the 23-year-old's confidence is sky-high and his energy is palpable.

"You see it, over the course of my career, when guys are lacking confidence or something and you can tell," Kittle explained. "And I haven't seen that at all this year, he has this energy to him, he has this passion to him and you can just see it. It's the smile on his face, he's celebrating with the guys. You can just tell he's having fun out there and that just makes football a lot easier."

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