The San Francisco 49ers took on the Denver Broncos in preseason action on Saturday and it was ugly. The quarterback play the team got from Carter Bradley and Tanner Mordecai was brutal, which is why the Niners should sign a different quarterback.
After an impressive opening drive led by Mac Jones that resulted in a touchdown, San Francisco struggled to move the ball effectively the rest of the game. Bradley completed 6 of his 14 pass attempts for 32 yards and had one interception. Mordecai completed three of his six pass attempts for 21 yards and had one interception. He was definitely one of the losers from the contest.
The two are competing for the third string spot on the quarterback depth chart which, admittedly, is not the most pressing preseason battle. However, San Francisco should know better than anyone the importance of having a decent emergency quarterback after the events of the NFC Championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
That is why the Niners should take a look at signing one of these three quarterbacks:
Carson Wentz
Formerly a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback with the Eagles, Carson Wentz has bounced around as a backup in recent seasons. Most recently he was a backup to Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City and saw limited action in 2024.
Wentz would certainly constitute and upgrade over Bradley and Mordecai and would give the team two former proven former starters behind Brock Purdy.
C.J. Beathard
Former Niners quarterback C.J. Beathard is still available as a free agent. The former third-round pick by San Francisco back in 2017 has been a backup in Jacksonville in recent years.
This offseason he was training with both Purdy and tight end George Kittle, a teammate of his at Iowa, so maybe they could put in a good word for him. He has experience with head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense, so it could make sense to have him as the emergency QB.
Jeff Driskel
Most recently, Jeff Driskel served as a backup for the Washington Commanders. His last NFL action came back in 2023 with the Cleveland Browns when he completed 13 of 26 passes for 166 yards with two touchdown passes and two interceptions in his one start on the season.
He would at least bring some regular-season NFL experience to the table, something neither Bradley nor Mordecai can boast.
This may not be the highest priority for the Niners what with all of the injuries they are dealing with, but after Saturday's performance, it would not hurt to have a more capable emergency quarterback on the team.
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