49ers notebook: Beathard to start in QB mess; Shanahan explains why Kittle might play
Much like everything else for the 49ers in 2020, they have to navigate rare waters this week ahead of Saturday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.
First, the team is making a change at quarterback from backup Nick Mullens to third-stringer C.J. Beathard.
It’s because Mullens’ elbow injury suffered late in Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys might be catastrophic for his career. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday Mullens might require Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his throwing elbow.
The procedure is more commonly associated with baseball pitchers than quarterbacks. Steelers star Ben Roethlisberger had the same procedure that caused him to miss all of 2019 before returning this season. It’s unclear how long Mullens would be out, but the pending restricted free agent might have an uphill battle toward playing again. It would likely be months before he could throw a football after having surgery.
Shanahan said the team is waiting for the swelling to go down, but it’s expected that Mullens will require the procedure. Mullens appeared to suffer the injury with 1:50 remaining in Sunday’s game when his arm was hit during a throw to receiver River Cracraft. Cowboys pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence hit Mullens’ arm he threw and was also flagged for roughing the passer when his hand made contact with Mullens’ helmet.
Mullens checked out of the game for Beathard and said afterwards, “I was throwing the football and they hit my hand and jammed my elbow a little bit. So I figured it was best for the team for somebody who could throw the football to get in the game.”
Beathard might have be in line to play regardless of Mullens’ injury. Mullens, of course, turned the ball over 12 times in his six starts since Jimmy Garoppolo suffered his second high ankle sprain in early November against the Seahawks. The 49ers were eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday leaving them a chance to evaluate Beathard over the final two games of the season before his looming free agency in March.
Garoppolo, meanwhile, had his practice window opened Tuesday while he remains on injured reserve. Shanahan mentioned that being a possibility in recent weeks, but it became a necessity given Mullens’ injury on top of practice squad quarterback Josh Johnson landing on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday. Johnson was signed last month to be suit up in case of an emergency. Fittingly for San Francisco this season, that situation has come up and Johnson is unavailable.
Shanahan said the hope is to avoid having Garoppolo suit up Saturday, although he might have to. The plan is for the team to scour the league’s practice squads for a quarterback they could bring in to serve as Beathard’s backup. That’s because players on practice squads don’t have to go through the six-day quarantine period when signing with a new team since they’re already in the league’s COVID-19 testing protocol.
Shanahan made it clear he would prefer to find a quarterback on another team’s practice squad than rush Garoppolo back.
“Only if the doctors tell me it’s 100 percent safe and he feels good. I’d be very surprised if that happens,” Shanahan said. “Right now he’s safe to go out to practice. We’re only having a walkthrough today, but it’ll be fun for him to throw the ball around a little bit (Wednesday). But we’re going to be very safe with him this week. We’ll see next week. But I’d be very surprised if that changes.”
UPDATE: The 49ers are planning to sign Josh Rosen off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ practice squad, according to an ESPN report.
Rosen, of course, was the No. 10 pick in the 2018 NFL draft of the Arizona Cardinals taken one slot after San Francisco drafted right tackle Mike McGlinchey. He’s appeared in 20 games for the Cardinals and Dolphins, completing 55 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. He’s 3-13 in his starts, with two wins coming over the 49ers as a rookie with Arizona.
Beathard will be making his first start since 2018. The former third-round pick lost the backup job to Mullens that season as the team went 1-9 in his starts going back to his rookie campaign in 2017. Beathard in 17 games has completed 58 percent of his throws with 14 touchdowns to 13 interceptions and a 77.2 passer rating. He’s averaged 244 yards per game in his starts.
“I got as much respect for C.J. as anyone I’ve ever been with as a person and as a player,” Shanahan said. “And it’s going to be fun working with him this week.”
Kittle has a chance to play, but why?
The 49ers would seemingly have little reason to play star tight end George Kittle over the final two games and risk injury after the team’s postseason hopes were squashed on Sunday.
But Shanahan disagrees. He said Kittle has a chance to play Saturday now that the fractured cuboid bone in his foot healed to the point he could return to practice last week.
Which leads to an obvious question: why play Kittle with nothing on the line and risk further injury?
Shanahan said it’s about precedent and sending the right message to other players.
“If he’s healthy, I just don’t see the reason why not to. Same as every other player on our roster,” Shanahan said. “Obviously I don’t want to get George hurt or anything like that. That’s why we’re going to be overly cautious with it. That’s what we have been. But if someone’s 100 percent healthy, I can’t look the rest of the team in the eye and tell them they have to play, but George doesn’t. So that’s just part of having a team and part of treating people the right way.”
Kittle, of course, sprained his knee in the season opener that caused him to miss time early in the season before fracturing his foot on the turf in Seattle early last month. He’s also played through a shoulder injury throughout his career that he said he won’t be able to get fixed until he retires.
Suffice to say, if Kittle does suit up at some point over the final two games, it would likely come in a reduced role. Kittle appeared in at least 91 percent of the snaps in the six games he’s started this season.
Mostert’s disappointing year comes to a close
There was more injury news to come out of Shanahan’s media availability on Tuesday about running back Raheem Mostert. Shanahan said Mostert is done for the season after aggravating his high ankle sprain that plagued him from late October to late November.
Mostert left Sunday’s loss after the first play of the second half. He was on his way to his first 100-yard game of the season after logging 68 yards on 14 carries. Mostert finished his injury-plagued campaign with 521 yards in eight games with three total touchdowns.
His injury leaves the 49ers with Jeff Wilson Jr., Tevin Coleman and Jerick McKinnon as the available running backs. Austin Walter, who had been on the active roster after starting on the practice squad, remains on the reserve/COVID-19 list and is unlikely to play this week even if he gets cleared to return Saturday, Shanahan said.
The 49ers on Tuesday signed former Stanford running back Tyler Gaffney to the practice squad. Gaffney, 29, was a sixth-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2014 and spent time with the Patriots and Jaguars before announcing his retirement in the 2018 offseason to play minor league baseball. He was a 24th-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2012.
▪ Cornerback Richard Sherman’s status is up in the air after coming out of the game with calf soreness, Shanahan said, the same injury that caused him to miss nine games that initially flared up after the season opener. It’s unclear if he’ll be available during the final two games, which could mean Sunday’s loss was the final time he suits up in a 49ers uniform.
“I know he’s hurting today. You could tell he was hurting in the game, too,” said Shanahan. “We’re only two days removed from the game, so we’ll see how it goes later in the week, but not going to make that decision now, but anyone who is not healthy and hurting is definitely a guy who might not play.”
Sherman, a pending free agent, indicated two weeks ago San Francisco might not have the salary cap space to keep him in 2021.
▪ Other injuries listed off by Shanahan: defensive end Dion Jordan, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw and safety Tarvarius Moore are all day to day with knee injuries and didn’t practice Tuesday. Safety Jimmie Ward remains in the concussion protocol after a scary hit on receiver CeeDee Lamb over the middle in the second quarter on Sunday.
Limited in practice: center Hroniss Grasu (knee), who hasn’t played meaningful snaps since Nov. 1 when he lost the starting job to Daniel Brunskill, and receiver Richie James, who is working through an ankle sprain.
This story was originally published December 22, 2020 at 2:24 PM.
