Trey Lance “absolutely” finding a rhythm with his receivers

The 49ers were in Minnesota this week for a couple of joint practices with the Vikings before the two teams square off in a preseason matchup on Saturday.

While receiver Brandon Aiyuk called the joint sessions a “waste of time,” they seemed to have some use for quarterback Trey Lance.

“For me, just trying to come out here every day and trying to get better, taking it one step at a time, especially with these practices,” Lance said, via Matt Maiocco of NBCSportsBayArea.com. “One step at a time, one day at a time, and just continuing to groove with these guys.”

Maiocco reports Lance was 23-of-35 passing in the two practices with Minnesota, with most of his attempts going to tight end George Kittle, receiver Deebo Samuel, and Aiyuk.

“Playing football, it’s kind of throwing where the defense tells me where to throw the ball,” Lance said. “I don’t just go back and pick a guy. … But, yeah, absolutely I’m finding rhythm.”

That goes for Samuel in particular. He’s a critical piece of San Francisco’s offense, having accumulated 1,770 yards from scrimmage and 14 total touchdowns in the 2021 regular season, plus another 291 yards and two touchdowns in three postseason games. But Samuel and Lance’s time together has been limited since Samuel was away from the offseason program while seeking a new contract. And he only recently started practicing after the deal got done on July 31.

“He’s done a great job these last few days,” Lance said. “Just again, the more reps we get together, the more stuff we get to watch together the better we’re going to be.”

Led by Nick Bosa, San Francisco’s defense should keep the team in most games. If Lance can get comfortable with his targets early, the 49ers could be in good shape to compete at the top