(03-24-2021, 02:08 PM)ATLjag Wrote: Backup QB competition....   Jags signed CJ Beathard today.  Beathard was a 3rd round pick by the 49ers in 2017, and has played sparingly for the past 4 seasons.  He has been in 19 games, started 12.  CJ is 27 years old.  Preliminary reports indicate it is a 2 years $5m deal.  

In his career, he has thrown for 3,469 yards, 18 TDs, 13 Ints, 58.5% completion rate, and a career 81.1 rating.  This past season, he appeared in 6 games, threw for 787 yards, 6 TDs, 0 Ints, 63.5% completion rate, and a 105.7 rating.  Aside from yards thrown, his stats have generally been trending better as he has gained experience in the league.

Multiple outlets (mostly triggered by Jeremy Fowler at ESPN) in San Francisco are rumoring that the 49ers may be targeting Minshew in a trade.  They want to upgrade their backup QB situation, desire someone to challenge JimmyG if needed, and can be affordable.  Minshew has 2 years left on his rookie deal.

With this news there is definitely now more buzz/speculation going on about Gardner being traded. (Granted it's not the full representation of everyone but Gardner is trending pretty high on Twitter right now, with various local media members from different teams speculating/weighing in on him possibly going to their team). I've seen more reporters representing different teams speculating their team might sign him. Including the 49ers. He is super cheap and I think could be a good QB for them. Plus Kyle Shanahan has met with him before and helped coach him during the week of the Senior bowl.  So they have interacted before and worked together. I think that Shanahan is a coach that could get the best out of Gardner. He's done a nice job with QB's over the years, both starters and backups.

I think that CJ is okay. If they were going to go after a former 49ers backup, I wouldn't have minded Nick Mullens. (Who Kyle has gotten some good showings out of). But he's had surgery on his elbow a little while back. CJ could end up being okay as a backup for the Jags. There are less productive backups out there.

(03-24-2021, 05:10 PM)RicoTx Wrote: OK, maybe I'm overthinking this.  But if they're trading Minshew could they possibly be driving his value down by signing his replacement first?  It seems like they could have signed Beathard at any time unless there was some market for him that I was unaware of.

I don't think so. If anything I think it helps them with potentially trading him. I think it shows other teams that they could be more open to trading him, now that they have found another QB that they feel comfortable about being the backup. I could see them wanting to make sure they signed another QB before they traded Gardner. Plus, teams have already been asking about him, prior to them signing CJ.

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