Practicing around the NFL’s best quarterback could help Trey Lance improve his game moving forward.
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback spent some time earlier in the 2023 offseason working with Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes. But it wasn’t just Mahomes that Lance was working with. He also worked with Mahomes’ private quarterbacks coach, Jeff Christensen.
Lance went to work with Christensen this offseason to help improve his accuracy. The third-year quarterback completed just 54.9% of his passes during his first two seasons in the league. Lance’s delivery, which 49ers coach Mike Shanahan said was affected by a finger injury in his rookie season, was the problem, which Christensen told The Athletic took a few days to figure out in his time working with him.
Once Lance’s delivery was fixed, Christensen had him watch some of the throws Mahomes made during the throwing sessions. That’s what led to Lance making significant improvements in his throwing during their time together this offseason, Christensen told The Athletic.
“I said, ‘Watch this. Watch what he does here,’” Christensen said. “It was something I was telling him to do that he wasn’t quite doing. And then he saw Patrick apply it perfectly. And I think that visual buy-in, that mental buy-in, helped him past that mental hump.”
“And to his credit, he just kept getting better,” Christensen added. “(Over) the last seven days, every day was a substantial jump.”
The other issue Christensen fixed was the arm soreness that Lance typically dealt with after throwing. Lance’s arm was sore after three days with Christensen, but after their final session together, which included Lance throwing 150 passes, Christensen said Lance didn’t feel any soreness.
Christensen said that Lance “kept applying and kept believing” in what he was being taught, which led to good results in the workouts that he had with Mahomes.
“He really fit right in,” Christensen said. “Pat really thinks the world of him. He’s just a really good person, conscientious. He wants to be great. And he’s one of the few kids whose actions match his words. He backs it up. He shows up every day and he wants to learn. And that’s why I teach him.”
Lance will certainly hope his new and improved throwing mechanics will pay off when the 49ers begin OTAs in the upcoming week. He could certainly use it too as it appears that Lance is working from behind. The 49ers have indicated that Brock Purdy‘s the team’s starting quarterback after he helped the 49ers reach the NFC Championship Game as Lance missed the majority of the year with a broken ankle.
But Lance could have the opportunity to start at quarterback this season. Purdy is still rehabbing from a UCL tear in his right elbow and he isn’t expected to start throwing until June at the earliest.
Trey Lance
San Francisco 49ers
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Recap
In a bid to enhance accuracy, Trey Lance collaborated with the QB coach of Patrick Mahomes.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance spent time working with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his private quarterbacks coach, Jeff Christensen, earlier this offseason to improve his accuracy and throwing mechanics. Christensen helped fix Lance’s delivery and arm soreness, and watching Mahomes in action helped Lance make significant improvements. The 49ers have indicated that Brock Purdy is the team’s starting quarterback, but Lance could have an opportunity to start this season if Purdy’s rehab from a UCL tear in his right elbow keeps him out. Christensen praised Lance’s work ethic and desire to improve.
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