Following the acquisition of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots, it has continued to raise the question of how long it will take for him to take over as the starter for the San Francisco 49ers.
It appears that Garopolo may finally be making some headway toward finally getting his shot under center, as head coach Kyle Shanahan stated his decision on who the starter will be is going to hinge on the health of rookie C.J. Beathard, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
“(Beathard) is a rookie quarterback and (Garoppolo) basically is also, with him just being here,” Shanahan said. “To give those guys the best chance to be successful, you want to give them all the reps, which still isn’t enough reps. Any time you split those evenly it’s kind of a disservice to both.”
Beathard suffered a knee contusion and a hip strain late in the fourth quarter in Sunday's 24-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks that forced him out of action. Garoppolo was inserted into the lineup where proved to be quite effective in three snaps scrambling for four yards, while completing two passes for 18 yards, which included a 10-yard touchdown toss to Louis Murphy on the final play of the game.
The 26-year-old looked quite comfortable under center in his limited playing time. It could give way to the Shanahan having more confidence in starting him.
Since acquiring Garoppollo back on Oct. 30, the 49ers have been quite slow with the process of working him onto the field.
However, the injury to Beathard could be what finally gets his chance to show what he can bring to the table under center for the 49ers. With five more games left in the season, and Garoppolo in the final year of his deal, it may all create an even greater internal push to go with him as the starter.
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