The San Francisco 49ers will start quarterback Nick Mullens on Thursday night against the Oakland Raiders.
Mullens, an undrafted free agent in 2017 out of Southern Miss, will make his first appearance in a regular-season NFL game.
C.J. Beathard‘s wrist injury is affecting his grip on the football, but he will still be able to serve as Mullens’ backup.
Beathard injured his wrist and thumb in the second quarter of Sunday’s loss at the Arizona Cardinals when he banged his hand on a defender’s helmet as he followed through on a throw over the middle.
Beathard played through the injury, something he attributed to adrenaline, but struggled to grip a football in practice this week. He was listed as a nonparticipant Monday and Tuesday and a limited participant Wednesday on the team’s estimated injury reports.
If it had been a normal week, Beathard would likely be ready to play, but the short work week has his status up in the air until closer to Thursday’s game time.
Beathard had X-rays after the game in Arizona that revealed he did not sustain any broken bones. On Tuesday, Beathard spoke to the media with a large wrap on his right hand and thumb but said he was hoping to play against the Raiders.
Mullens played in all four games in the preseason, completing 31 of 43 passes for 396 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. He also ran for a pair of TDs but lost two fumbles.
At Southern Miss, Mullens started for 3½ years and became the school’s all-time leader in passing yards (11,994) and touchdowns (87).