Trent Williams predicts Trey Lance will be a starting NFL quarterback again

For a very brief time, Trent Williams protected Trey Lance‘s blindside. That was back in 2021 and 2022, when Lance was the 49ers starter for all of four games before he broke his ankle.

It’s all so different now. Trey Lance is now the third-string quarterback with the Cowboys. And Williams, one of the best left tackles in the league, is protecting Brock Purdy, the starting quarterback for San Francisco. The injury in September, 2022, knocked Lance out for the season. It also changed the trajectory of his career.

But Williams, the former Oklahoma Sooner, believes Lance still has a future as an NFL quarterback, where ever that might be.

“I don’t have a crystal ball,” Williams said in an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area. “But I think in this league when you do the right things and you’re made of the right stuff, eventually opportunity will find its way back to you.

“And I think that will happen in Trey’s case. And when it does, we’ll all see the talent everybody knows that’s inside of him.”

The 49ers certainly thought Trey Lance was their future. The team traded three first-round draft picks to swap spots with the Dolphins and take Lance with the third pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. Lance started 2022 as QB1, but then broke his ankle. The 49ers turned to Jimmy Garoppolo, who was lost for the season last November. And then Purdy, the last pick of the 2022 draft, became one of the biggest stories of the year. The rookie led the 49ers to the NFC title game.

Garoppolo signed a free agent deal with the Raiders this off season. After San Francisco signed Sam Darnold as a backup, Trey Lance suddenly became expendable. And on the final weekend of the preseason, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made a deal to swap a fourth-round draft pick to bring Lance to the Cowboys.

Now, Dak Prescott still is the starting quarterback for Dallas. The Cowboys play the 49ers Sunday night. And Lance returns to Levi Stadium wearing a different uniform.

Trent Williams talked about the reunion with his old teammate.

“He had some unfortunate circumstances that opened up windows for other guys to come in and show what they could do,” Williams said. “Things like that happen. It was totally out of his control.

“As far as what he could control, he did what he could to improve every day, day-in, day-out. And he was a great teammate.”

It’s unclear what the Cowboys plan to do with Trey Lance, who is only 23. Most believe he just needs some on-field experience. It’s still way too early to tell if he’s a draft bust or whether the Cowboys are his final NFL destination.