San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, entering his third season in charge of the team, told reporters on Tuesday he had faith in quarterbacks Nick Mullens and CJ Beathard.

Per NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco, Shanahan said, “I believe in both of those guys.” Maiocco also adds that Shanahan would not decide who would be the official backup QB just yet, and that the decision would be made when the 53-man roster has to be established.

Mullens, 24, and Beathard, 25, are competing to back up starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo, who made his first appearance on the gridiron on Monday night's matchup with the Denver Broncos in preseason since tearing his ACL in Week 3 of the 2018 season. The 27-year-old Garoppolo is a former second-round selection of the New England Patriots, spending four seasons and winning two Super Bowls with the franchise before Bill Belichick's team traded the Tom Brady backup to the 49ers for a future second-round pick.

After arriving in San Francisco, Garoppolo thrived under the spotlight and out of Brady's shadow. However, in his exhibition debut against the Broncos this season, the Niners' starting signal-caller struggled against the AFC West's defense and first-year head coach Vic Fangio. Garoppolo completed one pass and threw an interception on his first drive.

Other than Garoppolo's rusty performance, the 49ers had Mullens and Beathard—who have 13 career combined starts in the NFL—play for most of the game, with the latter completing 5 of 11 passes for 81 yards in the preseason win.