San Francisco 49ers: Could C.J. Beathard lose his backup QB position?

Following the news that quarterback C.J. Beathard suffered a foot sprain in the San Francisco 49ers preseason Week 2 loss to the Houston Texans, Niner Noise examines what this entails for his and the 49ers future.

For San Francisco 49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard, this training camp/preseason has probably been the worst possible situation that could happen.

And that, sadly, isn’t an overstatement.

Let’s take a look at what has transpired for Beathard entering this 2018 season. Entering training camp, quarterback was supposed to be the only certainty for the 49ers. Jimmy Garoppolo would be the starter, and Beathard the backup.

Instead, Beathard has struggled throughout his preseason games and now winds up injured with a foot sprain, which could keep him out this week. Meanwhile, Nick Mullens, a practice squad afterthought last year, has been exceptional in his limited opportunities so far.

Examine these two stat lines for the preseason. When looking at them, choose which player you would prefer as your backup. These stats are compiled from the ESPN box scores of preseason Week 1 and Week 2:

Player A: 17/20 – 228 yards – 1 TD – 2 INT

Player B: 20/37 – 265 yards – 0 TD – 1 INT

Player A is Mullens, while Player B is Beathard.

Without context, they look like pretty similar players. Well, add this for your context. Remember that Mullens has played about a quarter’s worth less football than Beathard. Mullens also led his team to a comeback victory down 11 points entering the fourth quarter in Week 1 of the preseason, while Beathard didn’t. With context in mind, Mullens seems to be a better choice.

This is the part of the article where I explain that preseason stats need to be taken with a grain of salt. Just look at this article about overreactions to the 49ers preseason Week 2 loss to the Houston Texans for explanation. Context is key.

But don’t just look at stats. The eye test heavily points in Mullens’ favor over Beathard. Look at this play Mullens made against the Cowboys:

https://twitter.com/49ers/status/1027782422534840321

Although the decision could have been better on a 4th-and-2, Mullens was quick with his reads and threw the ball in a great spot. That has been Mullens throughout the preseason: poised, fast, and accurate.

Here’s a “good play” from C.J. Beathard:

Even when Beathard makes a decision, he still underthrows Dante Pettis, costing the 49ers an easy touchdown.

Beathard had to improve this year, as detailed in this article about why Beathard’s development is crucial for the 49ers. But as preseason has shown, his main issues of accuracy and decision making are no better than last year.

In the overreactions article, my reason for calling Beathard’s possible demtion an overreaction was that “the coaching staff has too much vested in Beathard to cut bait now” and that there needed to be more proof.

Now that Beathard might not play Week 3 of the preseason, things get more interesting. Although head coach Kyle Shanahan on KNBR’s Tolbert and Lund Show (h/t Niners Nation) said that quarterback is a set position, this week could change some things. If Mullens plays electric against the Indianapolis Colts with the second-string players, Beathard could be in a bit of trouble.

The only major obstacle stopping Mullens from making a run to the backup position is the talent of his opposition. By playing well against Indianapolis, that vanishes.

The 49ers brass has not been shy to make big moves, like cutting linebacker NaVorro Bowman or wide receiver Jeremy Kerley. Why would they change now?

The 49ers are currently not planning to cut Beathard, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area (h/t cbssports.com). However, he certainly isn’t making things easier on himself. If he continues on this path, the 49ers might be inclined to cut ties with their former third-round pick.