Ranking each NFC West starting quarterback in 2017
By Peter Panacy
The rebuilding 49ers didn’t panic earlier this offseason by using a high draft pick on an otherwise so-so NFL Draft list at quarterback.
Even though there was a point where San Francisco didn’t have any QBs on its roster.
San Francisco 49ers
Instead, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan brought in Brian Hoyer — an eight-year veteran with a 59.0-career completion percentage and a 16-15 record as a starter.
Hoyer won’t wow critics, by any means. And he’s a stopgap option until the 49ers are able to find a long-term replacement.
But there are some reasons to be hopeful in Santa Clara.
Over the last two years with the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears, Hoyer posted passer ratings of 91.4 and 98.0, respectively. And he has a rapport with Shanahan — both men were with the Cleveland Browns back in 2014, and Hoyer had career highs in both total passing yards (3,326) and yards per completion (13.7).
Point of note, Hoyer’s 2014 yards-per-completion rate actually led the NFL.
In fact, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport felt as if Hoyer would be a good addition for San Francisco’s offense, stating such earlier this offseason on the Bay Area’s KNBR 680:
"Look Brian Hoyer is not Tom Brady, but he is a very good quarterback. I mean when he has played, he’s been really good. I think the problem with Brian Hoyer is, and I hate this, but he was an undrafted free agent. And you just cannot get over that in this ridiculous world. I think if he was a second-round pick, nobody would be all about Brian Hoyer. But he had the Browns at 7-4 until Josh Gordon came back in the mix, poisoned the well, and they ended up going back with Johnny Manziel. He played really well for a bad Bears team last year before breaking his arm, which is not his fault. Brian Hoyer has played some really good football. I think he’s going to be fine. I really do."
Hoyer can’t climb any higher on this list, though, as the 49ers offense is still a major question mark.
Yet Hoyer’s limited success certainly puts him ahead of Jared Goff at this point.