Trey Lance Has Second Surgery on Broken Ankle

"Lance will continue his rehab process and is expected to make a full recovery and return for OTAs."

Trey Lance is back on crutches for the next two weeks.

On Friday, Lance had a second surgery on his broken right ankle, according to the 49ers. Here's their official statement on Lance's procedure:

"San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance underwent successful surgery on his right ankle yesterday. The second procedure was performed to remove hardware that was inserted during the initial surgery in September.

"Due to the location of the fracture, the required hardware placement was close to a tendon in Lance's ankle. During the rehab process, their close proximity proved to cause irritation in his ankle. After consulting with multiple experts, the decision was made to have the hardware removed to prevent future issues in the ankle.

"Lance will continue his rehab process and is expected to make a full recovery and return for OTAs."

My initial reaction to this news was that Lance must have suffered a setback. But after careful consideration, it seems like this second surgery was inevitable -- the hardware had to come out of Lance's ankle eventually. And the fact that the doctors took it out now seems to indicate that Lance doesn't need anymore and his recovery is going well -- not well enough for him to return this season, but well enough to participate in the full upcoming offseason.

So whether he suffered a setback or not, what's important is that he's not expected to miss any spring practices. The 49ers always said he wouldn't return this season, so nothing has changed.