Why 49ers are more confident in Nick Mullens than most teams would be with a backup QB
Nick Mullens is one of the rare NFL players who will get to know reporters on a first-name basis. The shy, but friendly, former undrafted free agent from Southern Mississippi would ask writers if his answers in an often-awkward press conference setting were satisfactory (pre-pandemic, of course).
Mullens, 25, can hardly grow facial hair. And he was embarrassed in 2018 when George Kittle spilled the beans on a habit Mullens formed during his first two seasons with the 49ers. Mullens would pump crowd noise through his headphones and practice calling plays in his down time.
In typical Mullens fashion, the story came out because his wife, Haleigh, shared Mullens’ ritual over Snapchat with Kittle’s then-fiance, Claire. Kittle went on to share the story with reporters and it followed Mullens throughout his introduction as an NFL starter in 2018.
The aw-shucks anecdote typified Mullens’ rise from no-name practice squad member to a starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, a role he’ll assume again, for at least one week, Sunday against the New York Giants. Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Friday made the expected announcement that Mullens will replace Jimmy Garoppolo, who suffered a high ankle sprain to his right leg last week against the Jets.
Often an NFL team being forced to play a backup quarterback does the opposite of inspire confidence. It’s why franchise signal callers these days make upwards of $30 million per season. They are difficult to replace.
But the 49ers feel good about Mullens and his chances against the Giants (0-2) because of how he played in 2018 when he was filling in while Garoppolo recovered from a torn ACL. He put himself in the same air as some all-time great quarterbacks with his early production.
Consider: with 282 yards in the 2018 season finale, Mullens became San Francisco’s first quarterback to have at least 220 passing yards in eight consecutive games since Joe Montana in 1986. And his 2,277 yards were the fourth -most for any quarterback in their first eight starts behind Cam Newton (2,393), Andrew Luck (2,404) and 49ers Super Bowl nemesis Patrick Mahomes (2,507).
That was in Mullens’ second season as a pro. This year is his fourth, and with his experience comes higher expectations that have risen because of the work Mullens put in. His arm strength, in particular, was a focus after getting passed over in the 2017 NFL draft before signing with San Francisco during Shanahan’s first offseason as coach.
“That’s the thing everybody’s gonna criticize, but it’s one thing that I’ve attacked,” Mullens said over Zoom on Friday from The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia. “So just playing with the full field, that’s huge to me. And I’m excited to show that on Sunday. And then being in the system for four years, like coach Shanahan says, how automatic can you get? How crisp, how automatic, how professional can you be? That’s one thing that I focus on every single day.”
Said Shanahan: “The more you work at it, the more your feet are under you. It’s not all just about the arm, it’s the rhythm within your drop back, the rhythm with where you’re going with your (pass catchers) seeing things. You can have your feet under you and your cleats in the ground, and you let something go on time, you’re going to get the most out of your arm. The more he is decisive, the more he knows exactly where he’s going, the more he gets out of his arm.”
Mullens will have to be crisp because his supporting cast is missing valuable pieces. Kittle, easily Mullens’ favorite target in 2018, will miss a second straight game with a sprained knee. The 49ers’ top two running backs, Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman, will also be out. San Francisco hasn’t had No. 1 receiver Deebo Samuel all season, though he could return to the practice field for the first time next week after breaking his foot in June.
Mullens will also be going against a defense that’s fourth in yardage and 11th in scoring through two games, including 169 passing yards allowed last week in a 17-13 loss to Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears. It’s the Giants’ offense that’s largely to blame for the winless start. It’s 29th in yardage and dead last in scoring the first two weeks.
One thing seems certain, however. No matter how well Mullens plays, there won’t be any quarterback controversy beyond this weekend. Shanahan made it clear that Garoppolo is the team’s starting quarterback, and the decision under center the following week against the Philadelphia Eagles will be determined by Garoppolo’s health and not Mullens’ performance.
“When Jimmy’s ready to go, he’ll be out there,” said Shanahan.
That said, Mullens has taken cues from Garoppolo, who became a sought-after commodity after impressing in his starts with the Patriots while filling in for Tom Brady before getting traded to San Francisco. Perhaps Mullens could eventually follow a similar path.
“Just over the course of spending time with Jimmy, I’ve learned a lot,” Mullens said. “Just the way that he operates on a daily basis, just taking full control of the team. He’s kind of the heartbeat for the offense.
“Jimmy’s a great role model and (I’m) definitely aware of who he sat behind for four years. And the next best thing for me is sitting behind Jimmy, I guess.”
This story was originally published September 27, 2020 at 5:00 AM.