Detroit Lions: Top Five Quarterbacks They Must Trade for Now
By Bob Heyrman
C.J. Beathard was passed over by Nick Mullens in San Francisco last season after Jimmy Garappolo was lost for the season due to a torn knee. Beathard played about as well as you can for a terrible 49ers club prior to the arrival of Jimmy G.
Remember the 49ers have been terrible since Jim Harbaugh left, now things are looking up with Kyle Shanahan at the helm. With what they consider a franchise quarterback in place the team has plenty of other roster needs and may not want to carry three quarterbacks this season.
Nick Mullens took the reins last season and ran with them leaving Beathard on the bench holding a clipboard. Well, I guess it’s 2019, so he was holding a Microsoft Surface Pro, but you get the point. He was standing with a ballcap on, not a helmet.
Mullens threw for 2277 yards in eight starts. He threw for 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while owning a very respectable 64.2% completion percentage. To compare, Beathard in 10 career starts over a two-season span leaves him with a record of 1-9. He passed for 2682 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.
Beathard was drafted in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft with the 104th overall pick. I’m not sure if general manager John Lynch is ready to give up on Beathard completely, but with Garappolo in town, Lynch may be interested in a late-round pick for his C.J’s services.
He’s not a great quarterback by any means, but the 25-year old Iowa grad has a higher ceiling than Josh Johnson or David Fales. I’m not sure he’s ‘better’ than Tom Savage, but he should be considered.