Mullens will get start over Beathard
Three long months ago, Nick Mullens looked like a verifiable starting quarterback, one headed for a multi-million dollar jackpot as a restricted free agent. Surely some NFL front office saw him as a potential diamond in the 49ers’ rough.
Then his stock plummeted, along with the 49ers’ playoff chances.
Mullens could be down to his final audition just to prove his worth as a 2021 backup.
“It’s big for him, it’s big for everybody,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday, when he announced Mullens will start Sunday at Dallas while C. J. Beathard stays sidelined with an injured Jimmy Garoppolo.
The 49ers (5-8) will be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention if they lose, coupled a win by the Arizona Cardinals (76) over the Philadelphia Eagles (4-8-1).
As for the ramifications for Mullens’ career, he needs to rebound and improve on his 5-10 career record as a starter, 2- 5 this year. A backup role, however, remains his best fit, and most likely back with the 49ers behind Garoppolo. More competition likely will come, too, via a high draft prospect or perhaps a suddenly available veteran.
Shanahan does not describe Mullens as a bona fide starter, but rather someone still clawing his way among the NFL’s society of backups.
“Nick’s played some good football for us, he really has. He’s got some numbers to back it up,” Shanahan said. “Some of the po
sitions we’ve put Nick in and some of the plays he’s made are very impressive for a backup quarterback.”
Key words there: backup quarterback. Shanahan couched Mullens’ evaluation by noting the 49ers often have fielded a skeleton crew around him, as well as Beathard, who went 1- 4 and 0- 5 as a fill-in starter in 2017 and ’18.
“I always feel a backup quarterback, if they play too long, no one’s going to like them that much, because backups aren’t the starter,” Shanahan said. “That’s why backups are meant to come in for one to three games.”
Mullens thrived in the one-to-three game realm earlier this year. He re
placed Garoppolo to close out the 49ers’ first win over the New York Jets, then returned to the same field a week later for a rout of the New York Giants.
Admittedly “antsy” last game, Mullens insisted Wednesday he merely needs to stay cool in the pocket when he makes a sixth straight start. Two turnovers were returned for Washington’s only touchdowns in Sunday’s 23-15 loss. Mullens completed a season-low 55.6 percent that game, and while Shanahan counted nine drops that did not help Mullens’ cause, he saw at least four passes sail past open receivers.
“That probably has to do with the feet. When my feet are at their best, my throws are at their best,” Mullens said Wednesday. “Just keep calm feet, keep sound footwork and stay calm with your feet in the pocket, and
your mechanics take care of themselves.”
What Shanahan must see Sunday is obvious. Or not see, actually. Mullens has 10 interceptions and three lost fumbles this season.
“First and foremost, if he wants to stay out there, he needs to stop turning the ball over,” said Shanahan, speaking to reporters via video conference from Glendale, Ariz., where the 49ers have encamped the past two weeks because of Santa Clara County’s COVID-19 restrictions. KITTLE TO PRACTICE >> Tight end George Kittle is cleared to practice, six weeks after sustaining a foot fracture in the 49ers’ loss at Seattle. That does not mean he will come off Injured Reserve to play at Dallas but it is an option for their remaining three regular- season games. Kittle missed the past five games, as well as
Weeks 2 and 3 because of a knee sprain. He has 37 receptions for 474 yards and two touchdowns this season, after signing a record contract for a tight end. WARNER’S STI NGE R S >> Linebacker Fred Warner is cleared to practice in limited fashion, after leaving Sunday’s third quarter with a nerve stinger in his neck/shoulder that “felt worse” than one he had Nov. 2 in Seattle.
“It was the same side but when I went back and looked, it was like a freak accident, the way my head got caught,” Warner said. “I don’t think it’s a cause for concern at all. I’ll continue to treat it, get better and feel good to go.”
Warner said he has no idea where the 49ers are at in terms of a potential contract extension, which he becomes eligible for after this third season.