The 49ers enter this year’s training camp with perhaps the NFL’s most precarious quarterback situation. Their starter at the position should be set, but the final roster is hardly set at the most important position on the field.
Here’s our preview of what the 49ers’ roster looks like under center going into camp:
The roster
Jimmy Garoppolo
Garoppolo suffered an ACL tear in Week 3 last season, but his performance prior to that left something to be desired. He completed just 59.6 percent of his throws with five touchdowns and three interceptions, with a slew of other questionable plays included. He’s started eight games for Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco, with a 64.8 percent completion rate, 12 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 94.1 quarterback rating.
CJ Beathard
The former third-round pick was thrust into action in each of his first two seasons with only limited success. Beathard is 1-9 as a starter with 12 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and a 57.3 completion percentage. He has more physical tools than his numbers show, and he won over his teammates and the coaching staff with his toughness during his rookie season.
Nick Mullens
Mullens enters his third season as an undrafted rookie out of Southern Mississippi. He burst his way onto the scene by starting the final eight games of the 2018 season, winning three of them, and throwing for 2,277 with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His success last year certainly jumps out statistically, but that may not be enough to nail down a job.
Wilton Speight
Speight had an up-and-down college career before signing with San Francisco as an undrafted free agent. He played 21 games across three years at Michigan before transferring to UCLA for his final season. Speight completed 59.4 percent of his throws with 28 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 28 college contests.
The skinny
There’s no questions about who the starter is in San Francisco. Garoppolo will be under center Week 1 in Tampa Bay barring a setback in his recovery from his torn ACL. It’ll be worth keeping an eye on him in camp though to see how well he’s progressing in the lead up to Week 1.
The more intriguing thing to watch in camp will be the battle for the No. 2 job between Beathard and Mullens. Beathard had a better offseason program, but Mullens was better on the field last season. Shanahan claims they’re on an even playing field going into camp, so the distribution of practice snaps and preseason playing time will dictate how the jockeying for a roster spot is going for those two.
Speight will be a practice squad candidate barring a total meltdown in camp and the preseason.
Biggest question
While the backup quarterback battle is the biggest roster uncertainty, Garoppolo’s health looms larger than anything over San Francisco’s season.
The 49ers have a legitimate shot at the playoffs if he can recover from his ACL tear and elevate above the level of play he reached to end the 2017 season.
On the other hand, if he takes a step backwards or suffers some effects of that injury throughout the year, there’s a ceiling for San Francisco that’s well below the playoffs.
Perhaps the biggest key for the 49ers’ franchise quarterback will be staying healthy for 16 games. He’s yet to have a stint as a starter where he didn’t suffer an injury. Even an average year where he plays the full season would be deemed a success for Garoppolo and the 49ers.
Potential surprise
The only realistic surprise would be either Beathard or Mullens getting cut outright when the roster is trimmed to 53 players. There should be at least a small trade market for either player given their experience in Shanahan’s system that several teams run a version of. The 49ers would obviously prefer to get a late-round pick in a trade over simply cutting one of the quarterbacks loose. There’s also a scenario where the team elects to roster all three – a departure from Shanahan’s first two years in Santa Clara. That also seems more likely at this point than the straight up release of either Mullens or Beathard.
53-man roster prediction
Shanahan decides to stick with two quarterbacks, and Beathard earns the job behind Garoppolo with a superior training camp. Despite what showed on the field last season, Beathard is a more physically gifted player than Mullens. San Francisco will surely bet on their third-round pick over a former undrafted free agent.
Mullens did show enough last season to have a trade market. Former 49ers’ quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello is in Denver as the offensive coordinator, and Matt LaFleur, another Shanahan disciple, is the Packers head coach. They both might be willing to part with a late-round pick for a capable backup.
Speight will get let go during the final roster cuts, but he should make his way back to the 49ers’ practice squad.
