49ers training camp preview: Jimmy Garoppolo’s time is now
There’s no more important position for any NFL team than quarterback. That’s particularly true entering the new season for the 49ers, who haven’t had a quarterback start all 16 games since Colin Kaepernick in 2014.
In our final training camp preview, let’s take a look at what’s facing Jimmy Garoppolo in a pivotal year for the entire organization.
Defining story line: It’s all up to Jimmy
The 49ers hitched their wagon to Garoppolo following his impressive five-game sprint to the finish in 2017 after being acquired in a trade from the New England Patriots. Yet Garoppolo made only three starts since signing his $137.5 million contract that made him the league’s highest paid player in February 2018. He suffered a season-ending ACL tear Week 3 in Kansas City, virtually ending all hope San Francisco could snap its four-year playoff drought less than a month into the season.
Garoppolo was fully cleared from the injury Friday. However, he has already been ruled out of the 49ers’ first preseason game, Aug. 10 at home against the Cowboys.
Some of Garoppolo’s sheen has worn off. He was once the infallible franchise savior after his impressive debut. Now he’s entering his sixth season in the NFL and has never made more than five starts in any year. That’s largely because he joined the league as Tom Brady’s backup – and then became the 49ers’ starter with five weeks remaining in 2017. He also suffered a significant shoulder injury while replacing Brady during his four-game suspension over deflated footballs in 2016. The questions about Garoppolo’s durability are justified, though he’s eager to answer them with a full season upcoming.
So where does Garoppolo stand in comparison to other signal callers throughout the league? His potential is undeniable, particularly working with an offensive mind like 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who’s widely regarded as one of the best play callers and schemers in the league.
Garoppolo when taking the starting job in 2017 guided the 49ers to the No. 3 ranked offense in the during his 5-0 stretch, amassing 410 yards per game. Their 28.8 points average was fifth, his passing yards per game (297) was third, and his yards per attempt (8.44) was first. Even the defense improved, allowing fewer than 26 points per game in the 11 weeks before Garoppolo took over to 19.8 afterwards, good for 10th overall.
But Garoppolo took a step back last season before the injury. His completion rate fell from 67.4 percent to 59.6. His sack rate skyrocketed from 4.3 percent of his dropbacks to 12.7, while it appeared he created a bad habit of holding onto the ball too long.
It was just a small sample and perhaps Garoppolo would have improved if he remained healthy. Shanahan has said losing running back Jerick McKinnon to a season-ending knee injury before the regular season began changed the 49ers’ approach dramatically. McKinnon was one of Garoppolo’s favorite targets during training camp and there was no other player on the roster that could replicate his skill set that led to his four-year, $30 million contract in free agency.
So which player are the 49ers going to get this year?
They’re hoping it’s the one that seemingly changed the trajectory of the franchise in 2017. After all, his supporting cast should be better (even if McKinnon isn’t 100 percent healthy, Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida should be more capable than the crew San Francisco had in the backfield in 2018).
Receiver Dante Pettis has a full season under his belt. George Kittle has become a star since the last time Garoppolo threw to him in a game. The offensive line is returning all five starters. And the defense could be significantly better with the additions of Dee Ford and Nick Bosa surrounding DeForest Buckner.
What remains to be seen is how one of Garoppolo’s most trusted targets from 2017, slot receiver Trent Taylor, rebounds after back surgery hindered him throughout last season – and how rookie receivers Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd fit in. The early returns on Samuel indicate he’s a seamless fit for Shanahan’s offense, while Hurd is a wild card who could eventually move to a tight end or H-back role. Newcomer Jordan Matthews, a former second-round draft pick, impressed throughout the offseason program and seems poised to make some noise in the competition at receiver.
But none of that will matter if Garoppolo can’t stay on the field. He might wear the label of “fragile” until he can prove otherwise by starting all 16 games in 2019.
Projected starter
Duh, it’s Garoppolo.
But that doesn’t necessarily end the intrigue surrounding San Francisco’s signal callers. Shanahan has kept just two quarterbacks on the active roster throughout his tenure, yet he’s used three starting quarterbacks in the past two seasons. That could mean he decides to keep both C.J. Beathard and Nick Mullens as insurance behind Garoppolo.
After all, Shanahan invested a third-round draft pick in Beathard, the first quarterback drafted by the new regime. And Mullens had similar numbers to Garoppolo’s during his eight games as the starter to end last season.
Shanahan said throughout the offseason program that Mullens and Beathard were dead even in the competition to serve as Garoppolo’s primary backup. Based on their play in 2018, Mullens should have the edge. But Beathard clearly has more upside given his arm strength and experience. How they perform in training camp could decide who sticks around if Shanahan determines he can only have two quarterbacks active.
All that could lead to a trade. Keep in mind, the 49ers will hold joint practices with the Denver Broncos leading up to their second preseason game in Colorado. And the Broncos’ new offensive coordinator is Rich Scangarello, who spent the last two years as Shanahan’s quarterback coach. He was the one who identified Mullens as an undrafted rookie from Southern Miss and worked most closely with him when he became the starter midway through last year.
Sleeper(s) to watch
Shanahan has proven a knack for developing quarterbacks. So it wouldn’t be entirely surprising if undrafted rookie Wilton Speight makes some noise during the preseason. The former Michigan and UCLA signal caller played his entire college career for two former 49ers coaches – Jim Harbaugh and Chip Kelly, respectively – and shouldn’t be entirely unfamiliar by NFL concepts.
Speight (6-foot-6, 232 pounds) certainly looks the part. But his college production never quite lived up to the billing. He completed 59 percent of his passes under Harbaugh before losing his starting job. At UCLA, he averaged just 7.3 yards per attempt for a team that finished 3-9.
Speight didn’t get much, if any, work during team drills in the offseason. That’s largely because Shanahan prioritized seven-on-seven reps for Garoppolo, with Mullens and Beathard orchestrating the full-team drills. The 49ers might learn a lot about Speight in the preseason given how little he showed them on the practice field. For now, Speight seems destined for the practice squad, which is where Mullens spent all of 2017 before emerging last fall.
Projected depth chart
Jimmy Garoppolo
Nick Mullens
C.J. Beathard
Wilton Speight
Other Previews
This story was originally published July 26, 2019 at 3:07 PM.
