The San Francisco 49ers' quarterback situation has become stable on the field, but off the field there was a hiccup.
Sources say that 49ers quarterback Trey Lance, who began the 2022 season as the starter, underwent a second surgery on his surgically repaired ankle on Friday. The procedure went well, sources informed of the situation say, and Lance is back on the road to recovery.
Lance was recently spotted back on crutches, and that's expected to continue for about two weeks. It doesn't appear that the second procedure will affect his ability to prepare for the 2023 season, sources say.
"San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance underwent successful surgery on his right ankle yesterday," the 49ers confirmed in a statement on Saturday to NFL.com. "The second procedure was performed to remove hardware that was inserted during the initial surgery in September.
"Due to the location of the fracture, the required hardware placement was close to a tendon in Lance's ankle. During the rehab process, their close proximity proved to cause irritation in his ankle. After consulting with multiple experts, the decision was made to have the hardware removed to prevent future issues in the ankle.
"Lance will continue his rehab process and is expected to make a full recovery and return for OTAs."
As has been the case since Dec. 11, Brock Purdy will start Sunday's game against the Raiders for the 49ers, carrying his perfect record with him. Despite losing Jimmy Garoppolo to a broken foot against the Dolphins, the 49ers haven't missed a beat.
Lance was declared out for the season in late September after he broke his fibula and tore his deltoid and syndesmotic ligaments which required surgery. Lance faced a 4-6 month recovery, which meant March at the latest.
As for Garoppolo, he is out of the walking boot but not fully walking yet, sources say. Understandably, he's a ways off from being able to play. Under the absolutely best case scenario -- and even this is unlikely -- he could serve as a backup in the NFC title game (Jan. 29) or Super Bowl LVII (Feb. 12) if the 49ers make it.
Those decisions are weeks away under the best of circumstances.
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