49ers’ player stock watch after Week 15 win versus Seahawks
By Peter Panacy
Stock Down: Quarterback C.J. Beathard
With Nick Mullens’ stock on the rise, it only makes sense fellow quarterback C.J. Beathard‘s stock drops with every successful game by his competition.
The 49ers have regularly insisted the competition for prime backup duties behind Jimmy Garoppolo next year are neck and neck, admitting they have just as much invested in Beathard as they currently do with Mullens.
That’s the right thing to say, of course. The Niners aren’t going to throw Beathard under the bus and say he shouldn’t be a part of the team’s long-term plans.
But the results say otherwise.
One could argue San Francisco’s third-round pick from the 2017 NFL Draft was thrown into the fray a bit too soon his rookie season, subjecting him to some unnecessary punishment that ultimately carried over to 2018. It’s anyone’s guess whether or not that rattled Beathard’s confidence. Yet the fact remains solid, Mullens’ ascent isn’t good news for Beathard’s future in Santa Clara.
Perhaps the 2019 camp competition will be a bit better now, but that’s a story for another time.