Predicting 49ers 53-man roster just before final roster cuts

Quarterbacks (3): Jimmy Garoppolo*, Nick Mullens*, C.J. Beathard

Right off the bat is a spot where I can’t help but throw my hands up in the air and just ask, “why?”

If this were up to me, there’s no way I’d sacrifice another valuable roster spot — at, say, cornerback or wide receiver — for a player who has such a low probability of seeing the field. As is generally the thought, if your third quarterback is out there, your season is likely over anyway.

And sure, you can make the argument that third-year quarterback C.J. Beathard would be the best third quarterback in the NFL, and that the 49ers would be in better hands than most teams in the league if that situation presented itself (again).

To me, that doesn’t justify the decision. But whether due to a stubborn inability to see past Beathard’s flaws and the fact Nick Mullens is outplaying him, or just not wanting to admit he was wrong in picking him in the first place, Shanahan has already made it clear: he’s keeping three quarterbacks unless a better offer comes along.

It’s possible all the talk is simply an attempt to bait other teams into offering something for a player they can’t be guaranteed they can get otherwise, but the only way for Shanahan to show that is to keep Beathard around on the initial 53-man roster, and then see if a trade option surfaces in the days leading up to Week 1.