The San Francisco 49ers traded up into the third round to draft quarterback C.J. Beathard, and his progress is impressing a lot of people. Beathard was viewed by many as a project, but reports throughout training camp have offered a lot of positives about his performance.
According to the many reports, Beathard has started to rotate in at times to the second team offense. Kyle Shanahan said Barkley will be the second quarterback into the game this Friday, but Shanahan suggested the second QB spot could see some rotation during the preseason.
Matt Barkley is not the most overwhelming presence as a backup quarterback, but I don’t think many people thought there would be a serious competition for his job during this year’s training camp. Next year, maybe, but not this year. And yet, here we are as the first preseason game approaches.
It makes sense to get Beathard higher reps as he earns them, but is it enough to claim the backup job from Barkley? If Beathard does do that, I see little chance Barkley is on the roster, but given Brian Hoyer’s injury history, that would be a lot of confidence in a rookie. How will it shake out when Week 1 arrives?
Poll
Who will be the 49ers backup quarterback Week 1?
This poll is closed
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30%
Matt Barkley
(386 votes) -
69%
C.J. Beathard
(864 votes)