Coach Jim Harbaugh made it clear Wednesday that Colt McCoy wouldn't be handed the San Francisco 49ers' backup quarterback job. One day later, McCoy suffered a potentially damaging setback.
McCoy exited in the second quarter of San Francisco's 10-6 preseason loss to the Denver Broncos with a shoulder injury. Harbaugh said after the game, via The Sacramento Bee, that McCoy informed him it was a shoulder stinger.
McCoy told Comcast SportsNet Bay Area that he'll have an MRI on his shoulder Friday morning, but he believes it's only a precaution. McCoy also said he injured the shoulder on a 1-yard loss, three plays before he threw an interception to Broncos safety Mike Adams.
McCoy -- who finished 3-of-7 passing for 41 yards with the pick -- was replaced in the lineup by Scott Tolzien. McCoy played the 49ers' second, third and seventh series of the first half. Tolzien played the fourth, fifth, sixth and eighth series. Tolzien also started the second half. The two quarterbacks have been splitting second-team reps in practice.
If McCoy is forced to miss extended time, it could be the end of his chances in San Francisco. And Harbaugh hardly pumped up McCoy when asked Wednesday if the former Cleveland Browns starter had shown enough to be the No. 2 QB behind Colin Kaepernick in San Francisco.
"There's nothing shown there. It's very even," Harbaugh said, via CSN Bay Area. "And (I'm) very much looking forward to the games and future practices to determine (it). It's not clear-cut at that position."
Injury troubles are nothing new for McCoy. But the timing of his latest malady could have serious consequences.
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