© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
SANTA CLARA — Nick Mullens shows up at the 49ers facilities earlier than most teammates to prepare him for opportunities like the one potentially lying ahead Thursday night.
Starting quarterback C.J. Beathard did not practice Monday or Tuesday with a right wrist injury. He was not able to grip a football Tuesday, deeming his status for Thursday night’s matchup with the visiting Oakland Raiders as likely a game-time decision. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Beathard would play if the game were on a Sunday, but the abbreviated schedule has made things difficult to forecast.
If he is inactive, Mullens, Beathard’s backup, will run the offense — something he has never done in a regular season NFL game. That does not seem to worry running back Matt Breida.
“He’s the type of guy who is going to get in and do the job,” Breida said of Mullens. “I think he is a baller. He is going to get in, doesn’t let the game get too big for him. I think he is going to do a great job if he has to play this week.”
Mullens joined the 49ers alongside Breida last May as undrafted free agents. Mullens spent his Southern Mississippi career breaking Brett Favre’s career passing and touchdown records.
Mullens served as the practice squad quarterback for the entirety of his rookie season. That continued into this year, until franchise quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 3, elevating Mullens to Beathard’s former backup role.
Mullens has not taken a game snap since the preseason. But he impressed throughout the exhibitions, starting by leading the 49ers on a late game-winning drive in the preseason opener. He finished the preseason with a 72.1 percent completion rate, despite throwing three interceptions to one touchdown.
“The quicker you can visualize plays and react on the field, the better you will be,” Mullens said Tuesday. “Having a year under my belt, I feel a lot more comfortable.”
The first trait of Mullen’s traits that his teammates and coaches consistently identify is his work ethic.
“That’s just goes to show, no matter what he is on the depth chart,” Breida said, “he is one of the hardest workers I know and have been around. I know when he gets in, he will get the job done.”
Whenever Breida arrives at the Santa Clara facilities early in the morning, Mullens is already there. When Mullens played in an East-West Shrine All-Star game after his senior season, he YouTube-searched quarterback drops and how to snap the ball under center because he ran a spread offense at Southern Mississippi.
“That’s the type of guy he was,” Shanahan said Tuesday. “He’s going to figure it out. He’s going to work all day to figure it out on his own, with the help of coaches and stuff. He takes that as well as anyone.”
Mullens stays mentally sharp each week by visualizing game situations, whether at the practice facilities or at home. He studies each week’s installations as if he were the starter because he knows he is one Beathard injury away from running the show. As the scout team quarterback, Mullens emulates the upcoming opposing quarterback to prepare the 49ers defense. But nothing can simulate a game, he says.
For a young 49ers team prone to growing pains, starting a second-year quarterback who has never appeared in a regular season contest may only magnify the issue. The 49ers, however, maintain their confidence in Mullens.
When Garoppolo went down, the team worked out several quarterbacks, but none were signed. About three weeks later, the 49ers signed quarterback Tom Savage, then released him, then re-signed him again. But Shanahan has reiterated that Beathard will remain the starter and Mullens the backup moving forward.
“Guys believe in him, and he’s as competitive and confident as a guy I’ve been around,” Shanahan said. “If he needs to play this week, he’ll be on it.”