Why Rapoport believes Darnold will be 49ers' QB1 in Week 1

Why Rapoport believes Darnold will be 49ers' QB1 in Week 1 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

As the 49ers brace for yet another offseason highlighted by quarterback drama, the narrative comes down to who will start under center for San Francisco come Week 1.

While Trey Lance and Brock Purdy have been pinned against each other in the public eye as the clear front runners for the starting role, NFL insider Ian Rapoport has a different idea of how things will play out.

“We do not know what Trey Lance is going to be if he continues the trajectory that he’s been on,” Rapoport said Tuesday on NFL Network (h/t 49ers Webzone). “And I think, certainly, it seems Sam Darnold will more likely than not be the starter going into the season, but there is an opportunity for someone to step in there and start [the] first couple of games of the regular season for the 49ers.”

Darnold, who spent his first three NFL seasons with the New York Jets, signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract with San Francisco earlier this month.

While there’s plenty of uncertainty surrounding his position, the 25-year-old told Bay Area media that he’s not focused on his place on the depth chart but rather on how he can help the 49ers win games and get back to the NFC Championship for the fourth time in five years.

Rapoport’s NFL Network colleague David Carr seconded Rapoport’s comments.

“Trey Lance is still unproven in this league,” Carr said. “And so you insert Sam Darnold, who I think belongs in this system. I’ve actually been saying for the last couple of years [that] he would be great in a system like this.

“He finds himself with a great football team. I would even argue that he might have a little bit more ability than Brock Purdy. Although Brock again played great, fantastic as a rookie, I think Sam has a little more down-the-field ability and a lot of the same ability to move, ability to buy time, delegate the football.