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After Jimmy Garoppolo’s unfortunate injury, the San Francisco 49ers are gearing up for the Houston Texans with rookie Trey Lance.
Jimmy G is out with a UCL tear on the thumb of his throwing hand, and it also fractured. He hasn’t been ruled out for the end of the season, but Lance will start this Sunday in the Week 17 battle with Houston.
Tuesday, offensive lineman Laken Tomlinson hopped on an interview with KNBR, chatting with Marcus Thompson and Kerry Crowley about all things Niners. Specifically, the topic of Trey Lance came up, and the guard made it clear that he and the team are all behind the rookie out of North Dakota State.
“I was extremely impressed with the couple of games that he got to play early on in the year,” Tomlinson said. “Just the way he handled his business and went out there and operated the offense. A lot of guys are excited for him and what he can do with this offense.”
Lance stepped in for Jimmy G in Week 4, tossing two touchdowns in the 28-21 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He then started the next week against the Arizona Cardinals, but struggled with 192 passing yards, an interception and no touchdowns, per Pro Football Reference.
“He’s taking every day, and he’s getting better, and he’s getting coached up—a real coachable guy,” Tomlinson said. “We love to see it, especially a guy that young doing all those different things. It’s very exciting.”
There’s no reason for Tomlinson to be anything but supportive, but it’s still encouraging for Niners fans to see the guy protecting Lance this Sunday and potentially in the future say positive things.
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Tomlinson Speaks After Pro Bowl Snub
With five selections to the Pro Bowl this year, the 49ers got plenty of respect. However, one name that Niners fans wanted to see was Tomlinson’s. Of course, the San Francisco guard wanted that as well.
“Hey Faithfuls! Just wanted to say thank you SO MUCH for voting for me for the Pro Bowl. Y’all definitely showed ya boy some love! I’m disappointed that this wasn’t finally my year, but grateful to be an alternate. I’ll just keep doing my job as always,” Tomlinson posted after the Pro Bowl selections were announced.
Sure, it’s nice to be an alternate but who doesn’t want to be at the top? Many fans replied to Tomlinson’s post to comment on the snub, and including one of Tomlinson’s biggest “fans,” the guard’s teammate Mike McGlinchey.
49ers Guard’s an Understated Rock of Offense
Tackle Trent Williams replaced 49ers legend Joe Staley on the offensive line coming into the 2020 season, which meant one high-profile lineman was replacing another. Naturally, the rest of the offensive line had to take a backseat in terms of the spotlight.
However, Tomlinson has been a crucial part of the interior of the San Francisco line. Since joining the team in 2017, the 29-year-old has missed just one regular season game, per PFR. While Tomlinson hasn’t earned Pro Bowl selections or much national attention, starting 77 of a possible 78 games is the story.
2020 and 2021 has seen Tomlinson get some much-due praise, and his steady presence is even more valuable as the Niners began to transition to Trey Lance leading the offense.
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