There was some speculation late in the season when Nick Mullens went down with an elbow injury that his ailment could be serious enough to require Tommy John surgery and sideline him for most, if not all, of the 2021 campaign.
While he did have surgery on his throwing elbow, NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo on Tuesday reported it was not Tommy John surgery. Mullens’ procedure should make him available by the time training camps begin in July.
Mullens hurt his throwing arm late in the 49ers’ Week 15 loss to the Dallas Cowboys and went on Injured Reserve shortly after. He started eight games for San Francisco in 2020 and won two. The former undrafted free agent threw for 2,437 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
The question now becomes whether Mullens will be in camp with the 49ers. He’s a restricted free agent and has a full season of starts under his belt. San Francisco is 4-12 in 16 games with him starting under center. While he’s put up decent raw numbers, his turnover woes wound up dooming the 49ers in multiple games this season, which probably would’ve led to his benching had he not gotten hurt.
