Getty Trey Lance of the San Francisco 49ers will start against the Raiders.
The Buffalo Bills could have a question mark at backup quarterback after veteran Kyle Allen struggled through training camp and the team’s first preseason game, and one insider proposed a potential answer — former No. 2 overall pick Trey Lance.
Fox Sports writer Henry McKenna suggested that the Bills could find a willing trade partner in the San Francisco 49ers, who have a logjam at quarterback and could move Lance to the Bills. The move would also give the Bills a young backup who could have more time to develop, bucking the team’s recent trend of signing more seasoned veterans to play behind Allen.
Trade Idea ‘A Little Crazy’
McKenna acknowledged that the trade idea was unorthodox, but wrote that Lance may be attainable given the quarterback situation in San Francisco. Brock Purdy is projected to begin the season as starter given that he has fully recovered from offseason shoulder surgery, with Lance falling out of contention.
McKenna suggested that the Bills could pull off the trade for Lance without giving up too much draft capital.
“A trade for Lance would be a little crazy, I’ll admit. At the same time, the 49ers really don’t seem to value their former first-round pick anymore,” McKenna wrote. “It might make some sense to trade for Lance and develop him behind Allen. Lance’s skill set is comparable to what Allen was as a rookie. If Lance costs a conditional mid-round pick, the Bills and 49ers might agree to terms.”
#49ers QB Trey Lance was a perfect 3-3 on his 7 reps.
Very limited opportunity in practice yet again today, but did the best with the reps he got.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio predicted that Lance will even fall behind veteran Sam Darnold on the depth chart in San Francisco.
“They’ve been working hard to get people to understand that even though Trey Lance was the third overall pick and they ultimately invested three first-round picks and a third-round pick to get him, Darnold is the guy above Lance on the depth chart,” Florio said in an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show. “And Lance is the guy they’re just keeping around as the emergency option because last year they had to use their emergency option.”
Bills May Need Outside Help
Whether the Bills decide not to pursue a trade for Lance or not, McKenna predicted that the team may need to look for outside help in backing up Josh Allen.
“Whether the deal is for Lance or a more reliable starter, the Bills might seek out options on the trade market, because I’m not sure Buffalo loves Kyle Allen or Matt Barkley,” he wrote. “Both QBs are likely to make it to the practice squad, where they could remain, barring an injury to Josh Allen.”
There could be another quarterback on the 49ers for the Bills to target. The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia suggested that Darnold could be a target, since he is already close with Josh Allen.
“The best-case scenario for the Bills would be if they could trade for Darnold, who is tight with Josh Allen and is someone the Bills have long been fans of since the 2018 draft process,” Buscaglia wrote. “Regardless of who it is, if Beane isn’t satisfied with the backup situation, he could make a move to quickly improve it.”