Why Trey Lance Will be a Significantly Better Passer This Year

Trey Lance sustained a finger injury in the preseason that ended up being a hindrance for him throughout his rookie season.

Trey Lance injured his finger in the third preseason game last year.

He chipped a bone on his throwing hand to be precise. The injury forced him to miss a week of practice, which made it seem like it wasn't a significant injury. On the contrary, it turned out that the injury would hinder Lance for his entire rookie season. He revealed as much during his OTA press conference on Tuesday.

"I kind of dealt with my finger throughout the season, so for me, it was kind of getting that back and getting healthy and feeling back to myself." said Lance. "I felt like towards the end of the season, I wasn't the best version of myself, overall. 

Lance is going to be a significantly better passer this year with his finger healed. It isn't just because he has a year under his belt. That much is to be expected. What wasn't expected or accounted for was how much his finger impacted his throwing ability. Lance had to adjust and adapt to it. Basically, what was already a learning process got added on due to his injury where he had to relearn how to throw. 

"It was a long season, long pre-draft process with me not being in school. Everyone says it's going to be, but you don't really realize it until it happens. And I think the finger for me was the biggest thing just as far as throwing the ball. I kind of had to learn how to throw the ball differently without using my pointer finger I guess just because of where it was at throughout the year. But now, I feel like I'm in a great spot health-wise and throwing the ball well and I feel really good.” 

Talk about an uphill climb that just got steeper. Imagine if Lance didn't have to factor in adjusting with his injured finger. Perhaps he looks like a more polished passer. Whatever the case may be, I feel strongly that Lance will be a significantly better passer now. He has the coaches, reps, and now the full-health of his finger to ascend smoothly. It would not be a surprise to see him hit some pinpoint accurate throws now. 

The sky's the limit for Lance now.