49ers quarterback Nick Mullens did little wrong in his first nine NFL starts.
But toward the end of start No. 10, Mullens played poorly enough to get benched.
Now, the question is whether coach Kyle Shanahan's decision to pull Mullens and replace him with C.J. Beathard is a one-time deal or more permanent.
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Jimmy Garoppolo, the 49ers' unquestioned starting quarterback, is among the group of injured players Shanahan said he hopes to get back at practice on Wednesday. Garoppolo has sat out the past 2 1/2 games with a high right ankle sprain.
The 49ers return to action Sunday in Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins at Levi's Stadium.
On Monday, Shanahan would not commit to the orders on the depth chart Mullens and Beathard will hold with the 49ers this week.
"That's something we'll work through this week," Shanahan said Monday on a video call with reporters. "I'm still not sure about Jimmy. Just finished (speaking) with the players about 30 minutes ago, so I don't really know what we'll do on Wednesday.
San Francisco 49ers
"We'll have a plan by then. But (I) haven't talked it over with the coaches, yet, so not sure."
Mullens completed 18 of 26 passes for 200 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also lost a fumble in the 49ers' 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
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Shanahan benched Mullens with 5:42 remaining in the game. At that point, Mullens had committed back-to-back turnovers that resulted in the Eagles scoring 14 points to take command of the game.
Mullens fumbled while being sacked, which led to Philadelphia driving 42 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. Then, Mullens delivered an interception to linebacker Al Singleton, who returned it 30 yards for a touchdown.
Beathard entered the game with the 49ers trailing 24-14. He played the final two possessions of the game, and completed 14 of 19 passes for 138 yards.
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Mullens has been ahead of Beathard on the team's depth chart ever since he finished the 2018 strong with eight starts. Mullens was the backup quarterback behind Garoppolo all of last season, while Beathard never suited up for a game as the team's No. 3.
Before Sunday night, Beathard had not seen game action since the middle of the 2018 season. In 14 career games, including 10 starts, Beathard has completed 58 percent of his pass attempts for 2,820 yards with 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.