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Quarterback
C.J. Beathard, who was thrust into the starting quarterback role last weekend, would probably feel a lot better heading into Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers with the NFL's leading (co-leading, actually) rusher, Matt Breida.
Breida exited the San Francisco 49ers' Week 3 contest against the Kansas City Chiefs with a knee injury. He managed to return to the game and finished with 90 rushing yards on 10 attempts, bringing his season total up to 274 yards. There is no doubt that Breida wants to maintain his ranking among running backs, but he is also thinking long-term.
"[Whether or not I play will] be a game-time decision," Breida said
via The Mercury News in the locker room after Friday's practice. "I have to feel comfortable. I'm not at 100 percent right now."
Friday's injury report officially listed Breida as questionable.
"I'm not going to go out there and risk getting hurt," he added. "We have a long season to play."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that a decision on whether or not Beathard has Breida in the backfield will likely be made on Sunday.
"He's been up and down a little bit this week,"
Shanahan said. "He got a little bit more yesterday. We kept him limited today just trying to manage the wear and tear. But, questionable is better than doubtful so hoping it works out."
With
Jerick McKinnon out for the season with a torn ACL, Breida has been doing a superb job carrying the load. He averaged nine yards per carry against the Chiefs and 12.5 yards per attempt the week before against the Detroit Lions.
If Breida cannot go, fans might see a lot of Alfred Morris carrying the football. Of course, he too is listed as questionable for Sunday with a knee injury. Morris has 153 rushing yards this season on 40 attempts with a touchdown.
The only other pure running back on the active roster is Raheem Mostert.
The Carolina Panthers announced that the team expects to reach a decision on its new general manager this week. This comes after the organization whittled down its list of candidates from 15 to four.
San Francisco 49ers VP of player personnel Adam Peters was among the 15 to interview virtually with the Panthers and was among the four to meet in-person with team brass this week. The other three are Tennessee Titans director of player personnel Monti Ossenfort, Kansas City Chiefs assistant director of player personnel Ryan Poles, and Seattle Seahawks vice president of football operations Scott Fitterer.
"Peters has the closest links to the people on the
It may be one of the best head-coaching vacancies in the NFL. San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh spoke with the Los Angeles Chargers over the weekend and is expected to have a second interview with the team, according to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
The #Chargers are expected to bring in #49ers DC Robert Saleh for a second interview, sources tell me and
The smoke that began rising on Twitter earlier this week about Deshaun Watson being unhappy in Houston has consistently gotten thicker as the week has progressed. Typically, where there's smoke, there's fire. The 49ers absolutely must pursue all avenues available to them to bring Watson to Santa Clara. He would instantly transform this 49ers squad into a perennial Super Bowl contender.
Watson finished the 2020 season as the second-highest rated passer in the league behind likely MVP Aaron Rodgers. He accomplished this on a team that was relatively bereft of talent on the offensive side of the ball, and was mired in a terrible coaching situation (Bill O'Brien was fired after four straight losses to start the season).
Despite the dysfunction, Watson still led the
