Beathard survived the final roster cuts Saturday, but he will begin the year as third on the quarterback depth chart behind Jimmy Garoppolo and Nick Mullens, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
It was a bit surprising the 49ers actually kept three quarterbacks on the active roster, but it was not surprising that Mullens beat Beathard for the primary backup job based on their usage this preseason and their results last year. The 25-year-old should be one of seven inactives on game days this season, and it would take injuries to both quarterbacks ahead of him in order to even sniff fantasy relevance.