Getty Jimmy Garoppolo did not play in the second half of the 49ers matchup with the Dolphins.
After a subpar first half against the Miami Dolphins, Jimmy Garoppolo found himself on the sideline as the San Francisco 49ers turned to C.J. Beathard in the third quarter.
Fox reported that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated they wanted to “protect” Garoppolo who has been dealing with an ankle injury. It does not appear that the move toward Beathard is permanent, but it also shows the 49ers do not have a great deal of confidence in any of their quarterback options at the moment.
“Watching how we were playing as a whole (and) watching how he was playing, you can tell he was affected by his ankle,” Shanahan explained after the game, per 49ers.com. “I know he doesn’t normally throw the ball that way and I think he was struggling a little bit because of it. The way the game was going, I wasn’t going to keep putting him in those positions knowing we were going to have to throw it a lot to come back. I think it hurt him from being at his best.”
Garoppolo was just 7-of-17 for 77 yards and two interceptions prior to his exit. The move comes one week after Shanahan turned to Beathard and benched Nick Mullens against the Eagles. The Athletic’s Dave Lombardi reported that Garoppolo’s five hits were the most the 49ers quarterback has taken in any half of his career.
“Garoppolo is helping C.J. Beathard warm up on the sideline right now,” Lombardi noted on Twitter. “Re: Shanahan’s stated rationale of the move: The broadcast said Garoppolo took 5 hits in the first half, which would be the most he’s taken in the first half in his career.”
During His Rehab, Shanahan Called the 49ers ‘Jimmy’s Team’
Shanahan was adamant that Garoppolo had no chance of losing his job as he recovered from an ankle injury. Garoppolo’s benching may have more to do with the team believing the quarterback did not look 100 % in the first half. Just a few weeks ago, Shanahan squashed any idea of a quarterback controversy.
“No, that scenario doesn’t exist, but I don’t think past one game either,” Shanahan explained, per 49erswebzone.com. “So, that’s for you to do, but this is Jimmy’s team. He’s done a hell of a job for us and when he’s healthy, he’ll be playing again for us.”
Beathard Overtook Mullens as the No. 2 Quarterback
What is clear is that Mullens is now the No. 3 quarterback on the roster as Shanahan admitted prior to the Dolphins matchup that Beathard had moved up on the depth chart. Now the question is if Beathard has any chance to take over the starting job from Garoppolo.
“Nick understands the situation (and) understands the business,” Shanahan said, per 49ers.com. “He didn’t have his best game. C.J. has been there before. Jimmy has been been there before. Nick just had a rough game and I think he played better than it looked. It’s never as bad as it seems. But that’s kind of a life of a backup.”
Shanahan will have a lot of questions to answer about Garoppolo’s future. Signs point to Garoppolo coming back from the ankle injury too soon, or the 49ers losing faith in their quarterback after his first-half performance. Lombardi reported that Garoppolo was not moving well in the first half, and it will be worth watching to see if the quarterback is held out in Week 6.
“It definitely didn’t seem that Garoppolo was moving well today,” Lombardi tweeted. “Maybe that’s why — I don’t know. But if that was indeed the case, Shanahan probably shouldn’t have started Garoppolo because those plays are the bread-and-butter of this offense to find rhythm amidst scuffles.”