49ers roster: It spells trouble if Nate Sudfeld has to start

The 49ers gave Nate Sudfeld a contract this offseason that all but guarantees he’ll make the roster, but hopefully they don’t have to turn to him to start at any point.

The baseline goal for any backup quarterback is to be able to hold the line and potentially win a couple of games in case a starter misses time with something like a serious injury.

Beyond that, most teams’ seasons are completely derailed if they lose their starter for the long run.

In case you haven’t heard, the San Francisco 49ers are going through a serious transformation at the position, attempting to show veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo the door in preparation to make second-year pro Trey Lance their starter for the foreseeable future.

Left in the shadows of this dominant offseason storyline is the backup, Nate Sudfeld.

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Generated 7/21/2022.

Signed as a third-string quarterback by the Niners a year ago to support both Garoppolo and Lance, the 28-year-old Sudfeld originally broke into the league as a sixth-round NFL Draft pick of the Washington Commanders back in 2016, finally getting some meaningful action with the Philadelphia Eagles as a backup a year later.

Despite being the least most-focused-upon quarterback on San Francisco’s offseason roster, especially after it used the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft on fellow quarterback Brock Purdy, Sudfeld nevertheless is looking at a full-time job this season.

Why?

Let’s take a look.

What 49ers are hoping to get out of Nate Sudfeld in 2022

Few teams ever have the luxury of fielding two starting-caliber quarterbacks at the same time.

For starters, we have to look at Lance as QB1 heading into the upcoming season, and Sudfeld’s contract (more on that in a second) is a pretty telling sign Garoppolo is going to be jettisoned if you didn’t think that already.

In light of all that, the 49ers are hoping Sudfeld does one thing only in 2022: hold the clipboard and act as a mentor for Lance in some way.

As far as meaningful snaps go, the Niners want none going for Sudfeld. It might be one thing if Lance suffers an injury and misses a game or two, but anything beyond could be disastrous.

For San Francisco, zero meaningful snaps for Sudfeld would be a good thing.

Why 49ers are in trouble if Nate Sudfeld has to start multiple games

Take a pick at what you want when it comes to evaluating Sudfeld. With a career 5.1 yards-per-attempt average, he doesn’t have the commanding arm strength. And while the 49ers appreciate his football IQ and wanted to retain him after 2021 because of it, the physical attributes simply aren’t there.

And if you want to pour over the film (bless you if you do), you’re not going to see anything overly positive either.

Granted, should Sudfeld have to start two-plus games in light of a would-be Lance injury this season, it’s possible he rides a stout running game and strong defense to help secure a victory or two.

Just don’t expect anything more out of him, especially by the way of carrying a team.

Projecting Nate Sudfeld’s role with 49ers in 2022

Speaking of Purdy, neither the rookie nor Sudfeld did much to separate from the other during offseason workouts just yet.

Still, in light of who’ll back up Lance, it might be an important question to ask.

Read More: All eyes should be on Niners’ backup QB battle in camp

Sudfeld versus Purdy doesn’t have the same ring to it as Garoppolo versus Lance, but here’s where the financials come into play.

Remember that one-year contract the Niners gave Sudfeld this offseason? The $2 million deal is fully guaranteed, which means he’s not going to be removed from the 53-man roster unless he suffers some sort of injury.

This also paints the reality of Sudfelt beating out Purdy by default, almost regardless of who performs better during training camp and preseason games.

From San Franciso’s vantage point, it can hope those are the only meaningful snaps Sudfeld sees this season.