You probably didn’t consider San Francisco among the places to look for a good quarterback competition this summer.
But 49ers rookie C.J. Beathard has impressed with his recent work in training camp, and could end up supplanting veteran Matt Barkley for the backup job behind Brian Hoyer.
While besting Barkley (six career starts, 1-5 record, eight touchdowns, 14 interceptions and a 63.7 rating) might not be the most difficult feat, no one saw Beathard coming, with the possible exception of 49ers coaches.
“We felt C.J. coming into training camp earned the right to compete for the No. 2 spot,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “That’s how we’ve been doing it so far and we’ve been rotating them throughout practice and those guys have been battling pretty hard.”
The third-rounder from Iowa was probably picked higher than many expected as well, but he was the first offensive player taken by Shanahan and new General Manager John Lynch, suggesting they have confidence in him others do not.
The initial plan was to just let him develop as their third, but the fact they’ve declared it a competition now is probably not a good sign for Barkley.