San Francisco might soon wake up from its uncomfortable dream at quarterback.
On Friday morning, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told KNBR it's likely Jimmy Garoppolo will return Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, per ESPN's Nick Wagoner.
By the afternoon -- after a consecutive day of practice -- Shanahan confirmed Garoppolo will start. C.J. Beathard will back him up.
It's been an interesting two weeks for the 49ers without Garoppolo, who suffered an ankle injury in San Francisco's Week 2 win over New York that forced him to miss Weeks 3 and 4 against the Giants and Eagles.
Garoppolo was replaced by Nick Mullens, who again displayed some promise in his first start of 2020, completing 25 of 36 passes for 343 yards and a touchdown in the 36-9 rout of the Giants and helping 49ers fans breathe easier in the absence of Garoppolo. Mullens was much worse the next week against Philadelphia, though, prompting Shanahan to bench him for C.J. Beathard late in the Niners' loss.
While some fans might be in favor of making sure Garoppolo is absolutely healthy before trotting him back out there, the 49ers' Week 4 loss is enough of a reason to bring back the quarterback. Miami owns a 1-3 mark, but has played competitively in recent weeks -- especially on the defensive side of the ball -- meaning the 49ers will need their best available signal-caller.
In a season in which injuries have ravaged the 49ers as much as the hardest-hit teams, if not more, it'll be nice for them to get their franchise quarterback back before embarking on a difficult seven-game stretch that includes meetings with New England, Seattle, Green Bay, New Orleans and Buffalo, as well as two games against the Rams. They'll need a better performance than they had Sunday night.
