Week 1 of the preseason wasn't kind to the final two quarterbacks on the San Francisco 49ers' depth chart.
Neither Carter Bradley nor Tanner Mordecai impressed in the outing against the Denver Broncos, going a combined 9-of-20 with an interception thrown apiece.
Yet the Niners didn't sit and wait to see which player would earn the right to be QB3 behind Brock Purdy and Mac Jones, reacting quickly and waiving Mordecai, the incumbent, and not reacting by signing further competition.
The following weekend in preseason Week 2 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Bradley revealed why he was the right choice over Mordecai.
Carter Bradley impresses in preseason bout vs. Raiders
Again, whether or not Bradley showcases some serious talent between now and the regular season isn't too relevant, especially with Purdy and Jones cemented in at Nos. 1 and 2 on the depth chart, respectively.
That said, early conclusions on Bradley likely didn't take into account San Francisco only signed him mere days prior to taking on Denver, and he had little command of head coach Kyle Shanahan's complex offense.
Even though Bradley is the son of Shanahan's defensive assistant, Gus Bradley.
Still, Carter Bradley looked wholly different in Vegas than he did the week prior, finishing the day going 8-of-13 for 96 yards with an 84.1 passer rating and putting the 49ers into two game-winning situations that were largely thwarted by false starts, some drops and presnap penalties.
At least there was a game-tying field goal, then a game-winning one.
Those gaffes can be expected from third- and fourth-string units, consisting mostly of players who have little chance of making the roster.
As for Mordecai, the Niners apparently wanted him to display a greater sense of urgency after spending his rookie 2024 campaign on the practice squad.
Bradley's addition, followed by a solid bounce-back outing against Las Vegas, is pretty much enough proof San Francisco made the right choice under center.
Even if it's only the third option on the depth chart.
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