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Jimmy Garoppolo appears ready to take his starting quarterback position back for the San Francisco 49ers.
For the time being, at any rate.
Garoppolo returned to practice on Monday, October 18, while Trey Lance sat out due to his knee injury, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch reported. Garoppolo didn’t appear limited by the calf injury while going through drills.
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Garoppolo has missed the last six quarters of football since exiting at halftime with a strained calf during the 49ers’ Week 4 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Lance injured his knee during his first regular-season start in Week 5, a 17-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The coinciding injuries left the quarterback situation in limbo if neither recovered in time for Week 7. Third-stringer Nate Sudfeld was eyed as the potential stop-gap replacement.
Lance’s return was pegged for up to two weeks immediately after it was diagnosed, but 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan maintained that Garoppolo could regain his starting role after the Week 6 bye.
The developments on Monday point to Garoppolo doing just that when the team hosts the 2-4 Indianapolis Colts on October 24, their first game back after the bye week, NFL Network’s Adam Maya reported.
Health Has Been an Issue for Garoppolo Since 2018
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GettyTrey Lance didn’t practice on October 18 due to an injured knee.
Garoppolo’s health has been a recurring issue for San Francisco in recent years. Since the franchise made him the highest-paid player in the league before the 2018 season, Garoppolo has missed 24 of 53 starts.
Garoppolo has a 96.9 passer rating this season. He posted 124.2 and 100.6 passer ratings in the team’s two victories during the first two weeks of the season against the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively.
His career-best passer rating was during limited playing time in 2016 for the New England Patriots when he posted a 113.3 rating. His best mark in San Francisco was during his career year of 2019 (102) when he led the 49ers to the Super Bowl and threw for just under 4,000 yards.
San Francisco’s Passing Attack Still Lopsided Heading Into Week 7
GettyGeorge Kittle has accounted for a big chunk of San Francisco’s passing attack, but will miss at least two more games after being placed on the injured reserve list prior to Week 5.
If Garoppolo starts, the question will be to whom does he throw besides WR Deebo Samuel?
Samuel and tight end George Kittle have accounted for more than half the team’s receptions and targets so far this season, and Kittle is expected to miss at least two more games after he was placed on the injured reserve list prior to Week 5.
On October 13, 49ers GM John Lynch called out WR Brandon Aiyuk for not being ready enough yet for more significant playing time and targets.
Aiyuk, the 25th overall selection in the 2020 draft, was the team’s leading receiver as a rookie with 748 yards and five touchdown receptions, but through five weeks in 2021, he has eight catches on 15 targets for 90 yards. He suffered a hamstring injury in the third week of the preseason and has been slow to regain his prolific role in the offense.
“Brandon has not made the strides we expect him to,” Lynch said during a KNBR radio interview when asked about the young receiver’s development. “We probably hold him to a higher standard because he’s got so much in his body, and it’s important for a team to see people earn those opportunities.”
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