Shanahan fine with Lance's marginal role: 'This isn't the preseason'

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan isn't interested in expanding Trey Lance's role significantly, if at all.

"Trey's our backup quarterback," Shanahan said Wednesday, according to The Athletic's Matt Barrows. "This isn't the preseason. We're not just going back and forth all the time. Trey goes in for specific plays or things we want to do. Trey, week in and week out, he gets better each week the more reps he gets on scout team."

The 49ers alternated between Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo for part of the exhibition slate, but Garoppolo has handled nearly the entire workload in the regular season.

Lance threw his only pass of the campaign in Week 1 - a five-yard touchdown - and has tallied just four rushes through the first three contests. The 21-year-old came to the Bay Area with much fanfare after the 49ers traded three first-round picks earlier this year to move up the draft board and eventually select Lance third overall.

Garoppolo has thrown for 760 yards with four touchdowns and one interception on the season while leading San Francisco to a 2-1 record. He's struggled to throw deep and navigate pressure, though, continuing a pattern that has followed him throughout his 49ers tenure.

"There's not a quarterback battle right now," Shanahan said. "We're going with our starting quarterback, who I think is playing very well. I'm happy that he is, so Trey isn't thrown into these situations too early."

The 49ers are coming off their first loss of the year - a 30-28 defeat to the Green Bay Packers in which their offense looked flat out of the gate. They face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4, marking the start of the divisional portion of their schedule.

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