Niner Noise
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49ers 2018 roster: Bubble-watch projections after preseason Week 3

By Jeremy Wohlfart

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 29: C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers passes in the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles on October 29, 2017 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 29: C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers passes in the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles on October 29, 2017 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 12: C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass against the New York Giants during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on November 12, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 12: C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass against the New York Giants during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on November 12, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Quarterback:

C.J Beathard: Strong chance

Nick Mullens: Long shot (changed from weak chance)

Jack Heneghan: Long shot

C.J. Beathard has struggled in preseason so far, and has been outplayed by the surprising Nick Mullens.

While it’s a borderline valid question to ask if Mullens should have been the first man to relieve Jimmy Garoppolo when they played the Colts, but unless Beathard was ruled out with a foot sprain (he played) we were unlikely to see this happen.

While there is a small chance Mullens could be on the roster anyway, this is unlikely as the 49ers like to keep only two quarterbacks on the roster. Mullens’ only chance was to really impress against the Colts and then perform well in the final preseason game (starters are unlikely to play much if at all, giving backups more snaps).

Jack Heneghan has been a non-factor in camp, and probably won’t have any chance making the team. Maybe if Beathard and Mullens were both injured and the team didn’t like any of the free-agent quarterbacks on offer.

Post-game analysis: 

Beathard wasn’t great, but did take care of the ball going 7-of-8 and 83 yards against the Colts and was good enough to hold off any realistic chance of losing his backup role. Mullens performed decently overall, before a late turnover, and would be a good No. 3 option. But the 49ers are almost certain to keep only two quarterbacks, and thus I’ve bumped him down to the long-shot category.