Brock Purdy
Getty
Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers.
The San Francisco 49ers are going to be without their starting quarterback for the next few weeks at least.
Brock Purdy gutted his way through Week 1, but turf toe between his big and second toe, along with soreness in his non-throwing shoulder are going to keep him out for several games. According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, Purdy is likely going to miss 2-5 weeks with a turf toe variant.
Mac Jones will handle starting duties while Purdy is out, but the quarterback room looks thin if anything else goes sideways. That’s why it makes sense to poach C.J. Beathard off the Detroit Lions’ practice squad.
“I would think the 49ers have to bring in someone with more experience, preferably in the Kyle Shanahan offense,” The Athletic’s Matt Barrows wrote on September 10. “C.J. Beathard is on the Detroit Lions’ practice squad. The 49ers have already brought back 2017 acquisitions Robert Saleh and Kendrick Bourne. Why not do the same with Beathard?”
More on Why the San Francisco 49ers Should Poach C.J. Beathard Off Lions Practice Squad
Beathard wouldn’t just be another name off the street. He’s a Shanahan hand-pick, drafted 104th overall in 2017 because the coach liked his processing abilities and his toughness.
Beathard gave San Francisco 19 starts across four seasons, netting 3,469 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Over his career, he’s thrown for 3,886 yards, 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 32 games. Those aren’t eye-popping numbers, but they’re good enough for a backup—and more importantly, he threw all those TDs in the exact system the Niners still run.
It would also be an easy and cheap way for the Niners to add another QB behind Jones. Practice-squad players can be signed away at any time to another team’s 53-man roster, no questions asked. Detroit brought Beathard in late in August, tucked behind Jared Goff and Kyle Allen, but didn’t lock him down with a protected slot.
If John Lynch makes the call, it’s a done deal.
Mac Jones Read to Take the Reins Until Purdy Is Healthy Again
C.J. Beathard
GettyThe 49ers could poach C.J. Beathard off the Detroit Lions’ practice squad.
There’s a reason the backup QB position is one of the NFL’s most important positions. With Purdy down, the Niners have a former starter in Jones, who signed a two-year deal in March (worth $7 million with $5 million guaranteed).
“I think Mac knows how to play the position,” Shanahan said on September 10. “He can play well in the pocket, distributes the ball well, sees coverage well, can play fast in there. He’s got a lot of good film from the NFL with the experience and obviously college. Tough guy who will hang in there and deliver the ball where it needs to go.”
Jones has started 52 games over his four seasons in the league, throwing for over 10,500 yards, 54 TDs and 44 picks in that span. He’s never worked with an offensive mind like Shanahan’s, though, so it’s fair to be intrigued by what the former first-round QB will look like.
That said, the Niners still need another signal-caller, which is something Shanahan also addressed.
“We’d love to have three guys in the building ready to go,” Shanahan noted. “We’ve obviously still got Brock, but he’s not going right now. But, we’ve got some roster issues where we just can’t bring one in right away.”
With Purdy’s situation looking a tad more bleak, expect those roster issues to clear up and another QB to join the 53-man roster. Will that be Beathard? We’ll find out soon enough.