The 49ers’ quarterback situation for 2020 isn’t particularly intriguing in the short-term. Jimmy Garoppolo is the starter and there’s not a player on the roster set to supplant him. Things could get interesting further down the depth chart though.
We’re beginning our preseason run through the 49ers’ depth chart with the most important position on the field. While Garoppolo has a stranglehold on the starting job, there are three other quarterbacks on the roster to keep an eye on leading up to the season.
Here’s what the depth chart looks like leading up to whatever version of training camp the NFL allows:
1. Jimmy Garoppolo
This is perhaps the easiest call on the roster. Garoppolo led the team to a 13-3 record last year while finishing top 10 in completion rate, touchdowns, touchdown rate, yards per attempt and quarterback rating. With a healthy offseason, he could be even better this year.
2. Nick Mullens
Mullens remains the No. 2 quarterback after winning the job last offseason. He’s a capable backup who can win a game or two if called into action as the starter. There’s no reason to believe he’s going to relinquish the backup job, but the competition will be open in camp, and Mullens will have to continue play well to retain his spot. The only way he doesn’t land on the roster is if a team offers the 49ers a quality draft pick to trade for their backup.
3. CJ Beathard
Beathard is Mullens’ main competition for the QB2 job, but he lost out on it last year and faces a steep uphill climb to overtake Mullens in 2020. There’s a chance that if Beathard doesn’t perform in camp that he gets let go to open a roster spot elsewhere. However, he’s very. well-liked among the coaching staff and in the locker room, and head coach Kyle Shanahan typically rosters three quarterbacks. Beathard is also a capable backup in the event Mullens is unavailable. The former third-round pick still has value for the 49ers, but chances are he spends most of the season among the inactives if he’s on the 53-man roster.
4. Broc Rutter
The undrafted rookie out of D-III North Central College in Illinois posted huge numbers as a four-year starter. The odds overwhelmingly say he’s a practice squad player to start the year, but his experience could allow him to impress enough that he leaps over Beathard for the third quarterback job. That’d take a lot of work though, and it’s more than likely we don’t see Rutter on the active roster in 2020.
