49ers’ Trey Lance says finger injury affected his rookie season, had to throw the football differently

Jimmy Garoppolo is still on roster for the San Francisco 49ers, but 2022 is the year Trey Lance will take over at quarterback. We didn’t get too great of a look at the No. 3 overall pick in 2021 for two reasons: He played in just six games with two starts, and he was also injured.  

This week, Lance told reporters that he was dealing with an injury to his right index finger all year long, which made throwing the football difficult in his first season. The North Dakota State product suffered the injury in last year’s preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders. It was originally diagnosed as a minor issue — a “microchip” of a bone that called for rest. It turns out, however, that the injury was more serious than previously thought. 

“I kind of dealt with my finger throughout the season, so for me, it was kind of getting that back, and getting healthy, and feeling back to myself,” Lance said, via 49erswebzone.com. “Like, towards the end of the season, I wasn’t the best version of myself overall. It was a long season, a long pre-draft process, of me not being in school. Everyone says it’s going to be, but you don’t really realize it until it happens.

“And I think the finger, for me, was the biggest thing just as far as throwing the ball. I kind of had to learn to throw the ball differently without kind of using my pointer finger, I guess because of just where it was at throughout the year. But now, I feel like I’m in a great spot, health-wise, and throwing the ball well, and feeling really good.”

In 2021, Lance threw for 603 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for 168 yards and another score. Lance won one of his two starts, a Week 17 matchup against the Houston Texans in which he completed 16 of 23 passes for 249 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. It turns out Lance’s finger just needed more time away from holding and throwing footballs, and the QB maintains he’s now healthy and ready to carry the torch for San Francisco.