Seems everyone’s on the bandwagon for Trey Lance and I’m also happy he’s playing well. But if Heineke makes two great scrambles no one gives credit while if Trey makes two, he is just what’s been missing.
Frankly, both have shown accuracy issues, though Trey did have a couple very nice deep throws this game. Problem is, we haven’t really given Heineke a chance in games. This past game he did have two high throws to Tre Harris and one behind KLS, but Trey had just as many errant throws. I just don’t get why everyone sees one as pedestrian and other as electric, based on what we’ve had an opportunity to see in games.
What I’ve seen in games is Heineke being killed by his O-Line, pre-snap penalties as well as immediate pressures. My bet is that others may see it differently and expect some big-time responses. However, I’d hope to see more in the last game, hopefully giving Heineke a chance. He didn’t even play in the HoF game and had much less playing time against the Saints.
Steve – awesome topic, and thanks for adding to the “Doppler!”
This is a great discussion point. Personally, I’m excited about Trey because he was a highly touted prospect with real draft pedigree who’s finally playing his best football. This is the strongest the NFL has seen from Lance, and if he keeps trending upward, it reflects positively on the organization. It gives me hope we can become the kind of team that restores QB value.
A perfect (and ironic) example is the Niners with Darnold. In limited action, they signed him for relatively cheap, rebuilt some of his value, and he went on to sign with the Vikings for $10M. That deal netted San Francisco a 5th-round comp pick and missed 4th-round value by just $550K. Then the Vikings let him walk for a 3rd-round comp pick.
Hopefully, we’re never in a position where a QB gets enough snaps here to build that much value. But I’d be thrilled if we could sign, develop, and move on from wayward QBs in a way that creates a steady comp-pick pipeline—and builds a reputation as a place where struggling QBs can revive their careers.
I was pumped when we signed Heinicke. While he was an upgrade over Stick, he hasn’t been quite what I hoped based on his Washington days. That’s the main reason I prefer Lance over Taylor: I still think Taylor could be flipped for a 6th or 7th, and Lance potentially bring comp-pick value down the road.
I’m just hanging on to the hope of a real development success story—and that it can become a strength for us moving forward.
Excellent points, Kyle. Can’t say I quibble with any of them. It’d be great to gain a trade for Taylor (or Trey with obviously a higher pick compensation). Hope they both play well next week and we can get some bids.
If not, we’ll likely need to keep both on the opening roster, which I’d prefer to avoid. I like the idea of developing the “kid” from Oregon on the practice squad.
I agree completely. I don’t see value in carrying both – if we’re down to QB3, we’re done 🤣. If we could offload Trey for a pick already, I’d take it! It’d just be a shame if we cut one for no return, and I agree that carrying them both on the active roster seems like a waste.