The 49ers have a couple of backup quarterbacks they like, but neither one of them is exactly what you’d call a threat to run.
In fact, C.J. Beathard strained his back a few weeks ago trying to replicate Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray while running the scout team, so this week, they’re trying something different.
Though nothing can really prepare them for the dual-threat ability of Lamar Jackson, the 49ers are using return man Richie James to lead the scout team in practice.
“Just [going to] be myself,” James told Jennifer Lee Chan of NBCSportsBayArea.com. “He’s a one-of-a-kind, so you can only be yourself. I’m already a dynamic player, so just the more dynamic I can be.”
James is averaging 7.9 yards per punt return and 22.9 per kickoff return this season, so he has some escapability. But he’s also 30 pounds lighter and five inches shorter than Jackson, leaving him to rely on his running experience as a high school quarterback at Riverview High in Sarasota, Fla.
“I was 80-percent run and 20-percent pass,” James said. “It’s going to work for today because that’s kind of what they do now. They run a lot. So I’m expecting to run, continue to run. It’s going to be interesting.”
James is left-handed (and not an MVP candidate), so it’s not a perfect comparison, but he gives the 49ers defense a closer approximation than Beathard or Nick Mullens could have.
