Jimmy Garoppolo: When will the 49ers’ new signal-caller play?
The San Francisco 49ers turned to rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard in Week 6 against the Washington Redskins. At the Week 8 trade deadline, the team acquired its quarterback of the future, Jimmy Garoppolo. When will the new signal-caller see the field?
Jimmy Garoppolo arrived at the San Francisco 49ers Santa Clara facility on October 31 ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline. As a result, the 49ers believe they have their quarterback of the future. In fact, 49ers general manager John Lynch is on record stating that very sentiment.
“I can tell you that’s what important is what we believe, and we believe Jimmy Garoppolo’s going to be our guy,” Lynch said.
Remember, the 49ers are pushing honesty and trust inside their building. Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan won’t reveal something that isn’t true. There are no more Trent Baalke-style leaks going on, so fans and media alike can only go by what they tell us. Let’s use this information to build a case for when Garoppolo might see the field.
Yesterday, Niners Wire writer Chris Biderman wrote a piece called Why and why not? Explaining both side of Jimmy Garoppolo argument. In his article, Biderman states a few important points on what to consider when answering the question: When will Jimmy Garoppolo play for the 49ers?
San Francisco 49ers
No. 1: C.J. Beathard’s performance so far
Beathard completed 76 percent of his passes and accounted for three total touchdowns against the New York Giants in Week 10. After that performance, 49ers left tackle Joe Staley had some good things to say about the rookie, per Biderman.
“I think he’s handled it great. He’s come in every single day, even before Jimmy got here, worked his tail off,” Staley said.
So, Beathard has shown he can play and has earned respect among his teammates.
No. 2: Shanahan’s complex offense
Shanahan has made it clear that his offense takes a year to master and can’t be learned without a full offseason. Without overreacting, this indicates that he isn’t comfortable with throwing Garoppolo into game action just yet. But Shanahan maintains the situation is fluid, per Biderman:
"He knows a set group of plays. It’s not just pass plays. He’s got to get us in and out of the right runs. All the situational calls on short yardage and third down. And he’s coming along with that. That’s something that, I don’t think you ever fully grasp until you’ve done it for a while. Just, even C.J. (Beathard) is still working his way through that. He had all of OTAs, all of training camp, he’s been a part of a game plan going on 10 straight weeks now. So he’s got a head start with that. But it takes guys a while and I think Jimmy’s moving along as fast as he possibly can."
Garoppolo will pick up things in his own time, and Shanahan will know when he’s ready.
No. 3: Potential Injury and an embattled offensive line
Garoppolo has started two games in his NFL career so far. In Week 2 of 2016, he exited a game against the Miami Dolphins early with a sprained AC joint in his shoulder. Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonzo made the hit. Garoppolo had thrown for 232 yards and three touchdowns before leaving the contest.
Knowing the above information, Garoppolo’s durability is a question mark. It isn’t something we will know one way or the other before he becomes the starter. We can only trust the 49ers decision-making process. For the record, I’m fine with that.
But fans may worry about putting the newly acquired franchise quarterback behind a shaky offensive line. After the game against the Giants, the line seems to be on the rise though. In determining Garoppolo’s first action, we must take everything with a grain of salt.
What are the facts we can look at to make our prediction?
The 49ers regime has been honest with us. Going by Lynch and Shanahan’s comments, we know three things:
- Garoppolo is viewed as the 49ers’ franchise quarterback of the future.
- Shanahan has a plan in place that will take X amount of time to develop.
- Injury can’t be predicted or expected.
Next: NFL Draft: Who the experts are mocking to the 49ers at no.2
Prediction
Garoppolo will either come in against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12 or start against the Chicago Bears in Week 13, despite my gut telling me we won’t see him this year. Logic dictates Beathard will struggle again, and the 49ers will make the switch.
When they decide to switch will remain a mystery. But it will be the top storyline to follow until they make the change.