The 49ers backup quarterback battle moved laterally Saturday with neither Nick Mullens nor CJ Beathard distinguishing himself from the other. That made Tuesday’s practice all the more important in figuring out who will back up Jimmy Garoppolo. Beathard injured his hand in Saturday’s preseason opener and sat out the session. Mullens was a full participant and a key chance for the former undrafted rookie to separate himself in the competition arose.
It seems we’re inching toward a reality where the 49ers keep Mullens and Beathard on the roster. They’re splitting second-team snaps in practice and splitting time in preseason action.
The result of both quarterbacks splitting the snaps is a quarterback battle where everything is magnified and the reps are truncated. That makes it difficult for one of the quarterbacks to string together enough plays in practice to show himself more worthy of a roster spot.
Beathard was slated to come in second on Monday night against the Broncos, and that doesn’t appear to have changed after Mullens’ solo session Tuesday.
What we’re finding out is Beathard and Mullens aren’t very far apart in a race for a backup job despite Mullens’ superior production in eight starts last year. That means the 49ers either have to keep three or cut a qualified backup quarterback. Or they find a trade suitor since both have shown to be capable of handling an NFL offense.
Tuesday taught us something we probably already knew. The 49ers have two, equal, backup signal callers, and they have to make a decision to tweak the makeup of their roster or let a good backup quarterback go. Ultimately it took Beathard being gone to show how impossible the battle between he and Mullens will be to win for either of them.
