Read this quickly, everything can change in an instant.
Tuesday saw a flurry of reserve defenders find new homes, making the list of Option 2 49ers behind Jimmy Garoppolo even narrower. Here is a brief analysis of where these QBs ended. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that Andy Dalton is signing with the Chicago Bears, and Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Tyrod Taylor is signing with the Houston Texans and Jacoby Brissett reached a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins.
Those three moves came after Cam Newton returned to the New England Patriots, Ryan Fitzpatrick agreed to an agreement with the Washington Football Team and Jameis Winston returned to the New Orleans Saints. So who do 49ers turn to now?
Dalton and Mitchell Trubisky have been connected to the 49ers for the past few days, and Dalton is now off the board. Could Trubisky be the main backup target for 49ers? He can at least be the most talented.
Trubisky, of course, was chosen by the Chicago Bears with choice # 2 in the 2017 NFL Draft, after the Bears moved up one position in a trade with the 49ers. The 49ers selected striker Solomon Thomas, with QBs Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson still available. Yes, not great.
Irony and all, 49ers can now try to add Trubisky as a reliable backup that can also compete with Garoppolo. Trubisky is far from great, especially for how tall he was, but he is still only 26 and his athleticism can be intriguing to Kyle Shanahan. He appeared in 10 games (nine games) last season with the Bears and completed 67 percent of his passing attempts, the best of his career.
In addition to Trubisky, the QB class of free agent does not look very good now. Players like Alex Smith, Joe Flacco and Mike Glennon are still available, but not all are viable options. Smith legitimately won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award, but a meeting does not seem likely, as the 49ers see themselves as candidates and need reinforcement that they feel can keep the engine running if Garoppolo goes down again.
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Perhaps the 49ers could look to the trade market for a QB like Sam Darnold or Marcus Mariota. Darnold will not be cheap and the Mariota contract is not easy to change. Now, though, it’s anyone’s best guess.
The QB market is drying up quickly and 49ers cannot wait long if they really want a solid backup they feel they can trust. Maybe it’s Trubisky. We’ll have to wait and see.
Just don’t expect too much.
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