After spending his rookie season as the San Francisco 49ers’ backup quarterback, Trey Lance could find himself in a similar role in 2023.

Per Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle, two people with knowledge of the 49ers’ plans confirmed Brock Purdy is expected to be the starting quarterback over Lance next season.

Lance was San Francisco’s starter coming into 2022, but a fractured ankle suffered in a Week 2 win over the Seattle Seahawks ended his season. He had a follow-up surgery in December to remove some of the stabilizing hardware in his ankle that was irritating a tendon.

He is expected to make a full recovery and be ready to go when the 49ers begin organized team activities in the spring.

Purdy, who was the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft, became the backup quarterback behind Jimmy Garoppolo after Lance went down. The 23-year-old made the roster out of training camp after beating out Nate Sudfeld for the No. 3 quarterback spot.