49ers quarterback Nick Mullens had a dreadful performance against the Eagles earlier this month, getting benched for C.J. Beathard and falling to No. 3 on the depth chart. On Sunday night against the Rams, however, Mullens landed at No. 2 on the depth chart ahead of Beathard.
Via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, coach Kyle Shanahan has explained that the situation could be fluid over the balance of the year.
“I think we can win with both of them,” Shanahan said. “I think some weeks, one might give you a little bit more of an advantage than the other. But that’s almost splitting hairs.”
The decision will be driven by the opponent and, presumably, the game plan.
“I wish they could have had a little more preseason games so I could just give them better feedback on why I’m going with which one,” Shanahan said. “But it’s so close that I really just decide on who we’re going against and which guy I think gives us the best chance.”
Shanahan hopes to avoid creating a sense of competition in practice between Mullens and Beathard, since performance in practice won’t determine the identity of the backup.
The best news for the 49ers is that they don’t have to rely on either of them, now that Jimmy Garoppolo has returned to health.