The 49ers haven't won a game in 2017, and their quarterbacks have been pounded. So logic says they have a lot to lose if they start newly acquired Jimmy Garoppolo anytime soon.
The last thing San Francisco wants to do is desperately rush Garoppolo into live action in an attempt to win at least one game this season. Given how rookie place-holder C.J. Beathard has been sacked 14 times in three games, plus the absence of top wide receiver Pierre Garcon, it's not like Garoppolo would be stepping into a QB-friendly situation.
That means Garoppolo obviously should not make his San Francisco debut in Week 12 just because the game vs. Seattle comes after the bye. Then again, using a pricey franchise tag on him in 2018, before he even plays a down for the Niners, doesn't make the most sense.
The 49ers instead should do something unconventional with Garoppolo: Play him in three favorable matchups in December, after the Seahawks and before the Jaguars.
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The three games come against the Bears and the Texans on the road, plus the Titans at Levi's Stadium. Houston and Tennessee field bottom-barrel pass defenses incapable of putting consistent pressure on QBs with major weaknesses in the secondary. Chicago's defense has been good, but a trip to Solider Field offers a different form of comfort for Garoppolo: a chance to play near where he grew up, in Arlington Heights, Ill.
Garoppolo has been a smart, grounded kid since he was drafted in the second round from Eastern Illinois. He should be a fast learner — exactly why 49ers general manager John Lynch traded for the QB when he did. At 26, Garoppolo is the same age at which the school's best-ever NFL QB, Tony Romo, got his shot with the Cowboys in 2006.
That was a different situation for coach Bill Parcells, of course. Dallas had a playoff-caliber team and needed improved QB play over fading, hurting, stationary Drew Bledsoe. Romo was prepped well during the previous two years under then-offensive coordinator Sean Payton, and he was set up to be successful immediately in the Cowboys' system.
Just because Garoppolo isn't playing doesn't mean he isn't developing a better grasp on coach Kyle Shananan's playbook. Garoppolo can get key, increasing reps in practice even if Beathard keeps starting. A Week 13 debut would mean he had a full month to get settled.
San Francisco's entire regular season has felt like an extended preseason, so a three-game stint with Garoppolo as the the starter before going back to Beathard for the final two games isn't far from left field.
That would give Shanahan a good sample size to see what needs to be tweaked without having to throw Garoppolo in front of the ferocious fronts of Seattle or "Sacksonville." Keeping him out of the lineup in Weeks 16 and 17, when the playoff-hungry Jaguars and Rams are likely to have something big to play for, would keep him from getting rattled during his transition.
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The state of the 49ers' line play and receiving corps are not close to what Garoppolo had in New England last season, when he thrived in three games while Tom Brady served his Deflategate suspension. That doesn't mean Garoppolo won't play every game in 2018 despite poor defense. But why not get him a tune-up with limited risk involved?
The 49ers need to strike a delicate balance of protecting their commodity without flying blind on him later. Their general approach with Lynch and Shahanan has been outside the box, so why stop the initial all-evaluation efforts?
However the 49ers play it with Garoppolo, both the GM and the coach are expecting great things out of him. That's why it should be easy for San Francisco to trust him with a short-but-sweet opportunity in 2017.
