5 players who have played last game in a 49ers uniform
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: Quarterback C.J. Beathard
The 49ers elected to keep three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster in 2019: Jimmy Garoppolo, Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard, the latter being inactive for all 16 regular-season games.
San Francisco went with this approach despite dealing with a number of key injuries, and one has to wonder if Kyle Shanahan goes with that same approach again. Especially considering the extra roster spot could have some serious value in guarding against the same injury factor biting the Niners again in 2020.
The backup quarterback situation is a bit tough to sift through this offseason. Mullens, who managed a 3-5 record as a starter late in 2018, won the immediate backup job to Garoppolo last year. It’s pretty safe to assume Mullens is the far better backup candidate, but he’s also the only reserve signal-caller with any trade value.
Considering the 49ers are short on draft picks this offseason, it makes some sense the Niners would try cashing in on one of their movable assets.
Beathard, meanwhile, doesn’t have much trade value at all after posting a 1-9 career starting record at the NFL level.
Yet San Francisco will need to clear up that roster spot, meaning it’s time to move on from its 2017 third-round draft choice this offseason, even if the Niners get nothing in return.