Earlier this week I put together a post about Jeremiah Masoli and how he could conceivably make the roster in a bit of a utility role. He played quarterback at Oregon and Ole Miss, but conceivably due to his athletic abilities he was listed as a running back when the 49ers signed him. Additionally, there was some discussion of getting him some work as a return man. For an undrafted free agent, providing position versatility is often the best way to earn a roster spot.
Now it sounds like he might be earning a roster spot the old fashioned way. According to Coach Harbaugh, Masoli is getting all his reps as a quarterback. Originally it seemed like he was getting reps at quarterback because of the limited number of arms in camp. However, in getting those reps, he has apparently shown Harbaugh something at the quarterback position.
Harbaugh:
"He's getting all his reps as a quarterback now. He's done a really nice job and I'm excited to watch him in the games, in the preseason games, and he's fighting like a lot of guys to make the ball club ...
"Like I said a couple of weeks ago, he throws the ball like a professional quarterback and he's played his way into that thinking by us."
Well then. Masoli apparently had a 63-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Beiler, so maybe that inspired the question about Masoli in the press conference.
Heading into free agency I figured the 49ers would add some kind of veteran QB to the roster. If the team decides to go with Masoli or even McLeod Bethel-Thompson, it would appear to show two things. The first is that either of them has done enough to impress the former quarterback. The second, and arguably the more important, is that Harbaugh is also more than comfortable with Alex Smith and/or Colin Kaepernick leading this offense in 2011.
One point that could be made is that Kaepernick is Harbaugh's long term hope, so he's not quite as concerned about this year. However, given the short shelf life for many coaches, I don't buy into that. Harbaugh would simply appear to be ready to go against the grain and roll with the interesting mix of quarterbacks currently on the roster. I don't think many people expected anything remotely resembling this at the end of last season.