Darnold completed the game going 6 of 11 for 89 yards and one touchdown. Darnold discussed the QB competition against Lance after the game.
“We were doing everything that we could to earn that job,” Darnold said. “I think for me, as a competitor, you’re expected to want to win that job. For me, it was just going out there and playing really good football every single day. I knew that at the end of the day if I did that, I could be in a really good spot to earn that job. I wasn’t in my head at all. Ever. I wasn’t thinking that I have a really good chance to win this. I was just taking it one day at a time, one practice at a time, one game at a time.”
Lance, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, was selected by the 49ers after San Francisco traded three first-round picks to Miami.
After the preseason game, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that Lance expressed interest in a backup role on another team. San Francisco found a spot in Dallas that gives Lance an opportunity to potentially backup QB Dak Prescott.
With Lance getting a fresh start in Dallas, Purdy is “happy” and “excited” for Lance’s next chapter in the NFL.
“I was able to go over and just tell him that I love him and like I said, how appreciative of that I am of him,” Purdy said of Lance. “Everything that he’s done for obviously myself and the team. So told him that I’m really happy for him and excited to see what he does with his opportunity and his career in the NFL. So, excited for him.”
Lance will get a chance to return to the Bay Area in Week 5 when the Cowboys take on the 49ers.