Stumbling 49ers seeking backup QB, running back
On Monday, a day after the 49ers endured a nightmare at Levi’s Stadium, head coach Kyle Shanahan outlined an even scarier scenario when clarifying his team’s quarterback plan for the rest of the season.
Shanahan said Nick Mullens will remain the backup to C.J. Beathard, but the 49ers eventually want to sign a No. 3 QB for in-game insurance.
“We’re looking for a guy that would have a chance to come in and play if C.J. went down and Nick was” playing, Shanahan said. “So we’d have an immediate backup.”
It was a reminder that things could get worse for the 49ers (1-4) after they at least came within sniffing distance of rock bottom with a 28-18 home loss to the previously winless Cardinals.
To wit: Mullens, who has not taken an NFL snap, could replace an injured Beathard and a currently unemployed QB then would be a snap away from assuming the spot Jimmy Garoppolo had 16 days ago.
Yes, the 49ers’ shift from trendy playoff pick to train wreck has come quickly, and injuries help explain at least part of their fall.
On Monday, for example, Shanahan said the 49ers were hoping to “buy some time” before signing a third QB because signing a player to fill out their injury-thinned running-backs corps was a bigger priority.
Shanahan said running back Matt Breida probably will be doubtful to play Monday at Green Bay after he sustained a sprained ankle Sunday. Breida, of course, was replacing starter Jerick McKinnon, who sustained a torn ACL before the season opener.
If Breida can’t play, Alfred Morris, who was working out in Cross Roads, Texas, in mid-August, will start against the Packers. He presumably would be spelled by Raheem Mostert and a player who isn’t currently on the 53-man roster.
On Monday, the 49ers held workouts for a group of running backs that included Jeremy McNichols, who was among their final roster cuts. Shanahan said promoting undrafted rookie Jeff Wilson from the practice squad was also a possibility.
The 49ers’ injury situation is quite extensive, but it still doesn’t excuse away all of their embarrassing offensive performance against Arizona. On Sunday, they committed five turnovers and the offense accounted for seven of their nine penalties. The errors wasted 33 first downs, a 10for-17 performance on third downs and a strong defensive showing.
“I felt like we were going in the right direction in a lot of areas that we’ve been focusing on — trying to improve on,” Shanahan said. “Then you get to that turnover section of the stat sheet and that wasn’t the right direction. Five turnovers to zero is a pretty catastrophic stat and one that’s very hard to overcome.”
It’s notable that the five turnovers were committed by Beathard, who had four, and Mostert, two offensive players on whom the 49ers didn’t expect to be relying this season. Shanahan said the losses of Garoppolo and McKinnon, among others, have been a factor in the 1-4 start.
Their two losses without Garoppolo also have featured mistakes from established players. On Sunday, Beathard’s first interception was a pass that caromed off wide receiver Pierre Garcon’s hands. In a 29-27 loss to the Chargers, the biggest play was a perfectly placed pass that bounced off tight Garrett Celek and resulted in an interception that was returned 86 yards.
“I think it was a tough blow early in the year, as everyone knows, losing McKinnon and then losing our starting quarterback,” Shanahan said. “So, I do think that takes a toll and I think everyone understands that. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t win games.
“I think we’ve played in two games now without Jimmy and I think we have been more than capable of winning both of those games and we haven’t gotten it done.”