Brandon Aiyuk got an up-close look at quarterback Trey Lance this offseason after spending a ton of time working with the second-year signal caller. Aiyuk’s offseason coach TJ Houshmandzadeh also saw the team’s QB, and had glowing reviews of his offseason work.
Houshmandzadeh in an interview with 95.7 the Game in San Francisco was asked what Aiyuk had to say about his new QB. Instead, the former NFL receiver gave his own take.
“He don’t have to say nothing about Trey Lance, Trey Lance was out here training too,” Houshmandzadeh said. “So as much as BA was out here working, I saw Trey Lance out here putting in a ton of work. And that’s why I’ve gone on record that I believe Trey Lance is gonna have a good year. Trey Lance worked his (butt) off, guys. He was out here grinding, and I saw that. So I believe he’s gonna have a good year, and if he doesn’t, it won’t be for a lack of preparation and him not putting the work in. He got out here to Southern California and he worked his tail off, so I expect to see results.”
This is an encouraging assessment because it doesn’t simply point to Lance’s physical tools. We know he’s big and fast and has a strong arm. The fact his hard work and work ethic stood out to Houshmandzadeh is a great sign that he’s putting in the time necessary to properly harness his skill set and turn it into on-field productivity.
Ultimately he’ll have to turn that hard work into success on the field. Being awesome at practicing has never won a team a Super Bowl. For now though this is all we have of the 49ers’ starting signal caller and he’s continued to check boxes throughout the offseason, including when he wasn’t with the team.
