The San Francisco 49ers return to practice Wednesday afternoon, and backup quarterback C.J. Beathard will sit out the session. Beathard is dealing with hip and knee injuries, and head coach Kyle Shanahan said he will not practice Wednesday, and remains a question mark the rest of the week. They are hopeful he can be available Sunday, but the rest of the week of practice will determine that.
Shanahan said that Beathard’s injuries made the decision to switch quarterbacks a little bit easier. He said he was taking the QB decision week-to-week, but as long as Jimmy Garoppolo remains healthy and plays well, he will remain the starter. He wants to see what Garoppolo can do, so it is not exactly a shocking announcement.
The 49ers appear to have made the QB decision on Monday. Shanahan said Monday is when they started putting together their Chicago Bears game plan, and they did it with Garoppolo in mind. He has been getting a crash course in the offense for nearly a month now, but he is still well behind Beathard in playbook knowledge.
The game plan for this weekend will likely remain somewhat limited with that in mind. Shanahan is not sure yet if Garoppolo will need the wristband he has worn thus far. Shanahan is not a fan of the wrist band, but given the current context, if it makes him more comfortable, then so be it.