Washington Football Team: Under-the-radar free agents team could sign on offense
QB C.J. Beathard, 49ers
I can already hear the groans. C.J. Beathard is far from the best quarterback on the free-agent market, but the fact of the matter is that the Washington Football Team is looking to add something at the position this offseason. Despite their desire, there is a question about what type of player they’ll be able to add.
Armed with the 19th overall pick, there’s no guarantee that they’ll have a chance to land one of the top-five quarterbacks in a strong 2021 NFL Draft class at the position. They are reportedly in the mix for some veteran options, but that doesn’t mean that they’re definitely going to be able to land an upgrade via trade.
Deshaun Watson may not be dealt, and even if he is, teams like the Jets and Dolphins have more to offer for him. Matt Ryan’s availability is also in question, and he’d only be a short-term fix for Washington given that he’s 35. There are some other lower-level trade targets like Sam Darnold and Marcus Mariota, among others, so while Washington could make a move there, it isn’t guaranteed.
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With that said, if Washington is worried they’ll get squeezed out of the quarterback market, they could opt to add a player like Beathard to the mix. Beathard was a third-round pick by the Kyle Shanahan-led 49ers back in 2017. He never firmly grasped the starting job, but Beathard has experience. He has made 12 starts and while his 2-10 record isn’t good at all, his performance last year was strong.
Beathard went 1-1 in two starts last year and looked good in relief of Nick Mullens and Jimmy Garoppolo when he had to enter the game. On the season, Beathard completed a career-high 63.5 percent of his passes for 787 yards and six scores. Impressively, he avoided interceptions entirely and helped to make the 49ers competitive when he was on the field.
Beathard is still young and won’t turn 28 until the middle of the 2021 season. He has some connections to the Washington Football Team as his grandfather, Bobby Beathard, legendarily held the General Manager job for Washington and helped lead them to multiple Super Bowl titles.
If Scott Turner and Ron Rivera like Beathard’s skillset enough, they could consider adding him and continuing to help him develop. Beathard doesn’t have the strongest arm, but his accuracy and ball placement were good last year and his mobility is decent. He can be a good backup and perhaps if he keeps developing, he could fight for the starting job in a battle with Alex Smith, Kyle Allen, and Taylor Heinicke.
It seems far more likely that the Washington Football Team will try to land a top quarterback in the draft or via trade — provided that the cost is reasonable. But if they take the cheap route and want to add another competitor in the quarterback room, Beathard is one of the few unrestricted free agent options that has some untapped potential remaining.