With San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo unable to turn things around against the Miami Dolphins, head coach Kyle Shanahan has opted to go with backup quarterback C.J. Beathard going into the second half, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic.

Garoppolo hadn't turned in a successful outing so far in the contest, completing only 7 of 17 passes for 77 yards. He also threw two picks during that time. Garoppolo is returning to action after missing the past two weeks with a sprained ankle.

During his absence, backup quarterback Nick Mullens received most of the playing time, further proving himself as a capable starter when needed. However, Beathard has been given the starting job instead, possibly due to Mullens' poor performance against the Eagles in Week 4 that resulted in a loss. When asked about why Shanahan decided to go with Beathard instead, he stated that it was simply to “protect” Garoppolo.

Beathard has also proven himself to be a viable option for the 49ers' offense. During his lone performance of the season in Week 4 against the Eagles, he completed 73.7 percent of his passes for 138 yards. He hasn't seen much playing time since 2018, a season in which he completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 1,252 yards along with eight touchdowns.

Shanahan is more than likely looking to shake things up on offense rather than permanently slide Mullens to the third option at quarterback. If Beathard is able to deliver an elite performance while helping the 49ers secure a win against a lowly Dolphins squad, it may give the head coach some decisions to reconsider going forward.