The San Francisco 49ers committed a boatload of money to veteran QB Brock Purdy this offseason after the two sides agreed to a long-term extension that will pay the former seventh-round pick $265 million over five seasons.
While it is impossible to predict when injuries will happen to any football player, John Lynch and the Niners front office had to think Purdy would last more than one week before a toe injury, of all things, would inevitably force him to the sidelines.
That is the reality San Francisco's coaching staff is facing now after a report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network indicated Purdy is expected to miss anywhere from 2-5 weeks as he recovers from a form of turf toe.
With that being the case, the Niners will need to sign a quarterback to serve as the backup to Mac Jones, and there is a perfect option available for Kyle Shanahan to reunite with.
49ers Must Reunite with QB CJ Beathard After Latest Purdy Injury News
CJ Beathard is currently serving as the quarterback on the Detroit Lions' practice squad, but that shouldn't be anything that prevents San Francisco from bringing the former Niners draft pick back into the fold.
Considering the only other quarterback currently on the roster who is healthy enough to play would be former Nebraska Cornhuskers QB Adrian Martinez, finding an outside signal-caller to bring into the organization would be the best insurance policy Kyle Shanahan and company could have behind Jones for however long Purdy is ultimately sidelined. This process started on Tuesday, with Mike White going through a workout without being offered a contract.
Relying on someone who has never taken a snap at the NFL level as your primary backup would be a dangerous game for Shanahan to play. He is aware of this and alluded to the fact that he would prefer to have a veteran on the roster to serve as the team's QB2 behind Jones during his time with the media on Wednesday. This is why the addition of Beathard would make a lot of sense.
Not only would Shanahan bring in a quarterback who is familiar with his system by signing Beathard off of Detroit's practice squad, the former Iowa Hawkeyes signal-caller has plenty of experience at the NFL level to draw from as well. Beathard has made 13 starts during his seven-year career and has thrown for nearly 3,900 yards.
Beathard is a player who Shanahan knows can, at the very least, run a basic form of his offense. This would help ease the transition if, for one reason or another, his number needed to be called upon to run the show.
This isn't the ideal scenario for San Francisco to find itself in after Week 1 by any stretch of the imagination. All Shanahan and the Niners coaching staff can do is adjust to the curveballs thrown their way. With Purdy sidelined for, potentially, over a month, some sort of move at the quarterback position must be made, and San Francisco could do a whole lot worse than reuniting with Beathard.