Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson spoke with 49ers reporters via a conference call on Wednesday and was asked about San Francisco quarterback Nick Mullens, who his team may face on Sunday night.
Mullens started this past weekend in the place of an injured Jimmy Garoppolo. He finished the game 25-of-36 for 343 yards with a touchdown and a passer rating of 108.9.
"A lot of respect for the backup guys," Pederson responded. "Sometimes it's a thankless job in the National Football League. I feel like San Francisco is blessed with probably two starters, quite frankly.
"[Mullens] is a smart kid. He's a hard worker. He puts the time in. You can see that in the way he plays. He doesn't make mistakes. It's rare that you see a poor decision, a bad throw, something like that on tape.
"He's just constantly processing the information, and doing the right thing with the football, helping his team win, and just letting the offense work for him. That's what you see in him."
Garoppolo's status for Sunday is not yet known. The 49ers are assessing his recovery today and will determine whether or not he can practice later this afternoon. There is a chance that Garoppolo starts against the Eagles, but the next three days will factor into that decision.
Pederson also spoke of his own quarterback's struggles this season. Carson Wentz has completed 59.8 percent of his passes for 737 yards with three touchdowns, six interceptions, and a passer rating of 63.9.
"Well, you're not in Philadelphia, so you don't get to hear the brunt of local media out here," Pederson said while laughing. "... I think Carson is working through some things. ... Some of the guys he's used to throwing to may not be available, so it becomes a little bit harder."
Pederson noted 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan's ability to prepare the rest of his players to fill in when needed, and that's something the Eagles are striving to do as well.
"It just helps Carson when [he knows] exactly where you're going to be," Pederson added. "That's where confidence comes in. And then when you execute, and you execute well, you begin to eliminate the turnovers and the mistakes that have been kind of plaguing us in the first three games."
The 49ers kick off against the Eagles from Levi's Stadium on Sunday at 5:20 p.m. PT.
