49ers bench Jimmy Garoppolo amidst blowout vs. Dolphins

Jimmy Garoppolo was so bad against the Dolphins in the first half that the team was forced to bench him under the guise of protecting his health.

The 49ers desperately want Jimmy Garoppolo to be their franchise quarterback, but that didn’t stop them from benching him after one half of hideous football against the Dolphins. The team’s decision to go with C.J. Beathard in the second half against Miami is going to raise lots of questions for Kyle Shanahan and his coaching staff.

Garoppolo’s ugly first-half performance was certainly bad enough to land him on the bench. He only completed 7 of his 17 passes for 77 yards. More importantly, he threw two ugly interceptions that greatly contributed to his team’s 30-7 halftime deficit.

49ers officials want fans to believe that putting Garoppolo on the bench was the best way to protect him from injury. This was his first game back from an ankle problem that caused him to miss multiple games. The fact that he wasn’t listed anywhere on the team’s injury report this week makes that sound like a flimsy explanation.

49ers fans shouldn’t expect Garropolo to stay on the bench for an extended period of time if he is healthy enough to play. Neither C.J. Beathard nor Nick Mullens has the talent required to lead San Francisco to consistent offensive success. They are better options for San Francisco based on the way Garoppolo played against Miami, but the franchise has to hope that was an aberration for their starting signal-caller.

The decision to bench him at halftime does, however, call Garoppolo’s long-term status as the team’s franchise quarterback into question. Shanahan’s offensive system is tailor-made for a quarterback that has the ability to deliver the ball accurately and on-time. Garoppolo’s inability to do that at a basic level is really limiting the 49ers’ ability to take their place among the NFL’s select group of elite teams.

Things have gotten interesting at quarterback for San Francisco. Garoppolo’s grip on the starting job is no longer ironclad.