Matt Maiocco looks forward to finally seeing 49ers wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk fully healthy on the field together, wreaking havoc against opposing defenses.
Between Jimmy Garoppolo, Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard, the 49ers have had their own quarterback issues this season. But they're nothing compared to what the Denver Broncos dealt with last Sunday.
Backup quarterback Jeff Driskel tested positive for COVID-19 last Thursday. Fellow quarterbacks Drew Lock, Brett Rypien and Blake Bortles were ruled out against the New Orleans Saints after being deemed high-risk close contacts to Driskel. The three irresponsibly didn't follow the NFL's COVID-19 protocols and were seen watching film with Driskel without masks. This left the Broncos without a quarterback. Literally.
Denver turned to practice squad receiver Kendall Hilton, who never took a snap as a QB in the pros during practice or a game. Hilton deserves all the respect in the world, but the Broncos' failure to take a national pandemic seriously bit them right on their rear end. Hilton completed one pass for 9 yards and was intercepted twice in a loss to the Saints.
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Luckily for the 49ers, they seemingly have a solid option in their emergency QB. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk has played the role in the past, but it's clear who coach Kyle Shanahan would use this season.
"Now that [Jerick McKinnon] Jet's back and no offense Juice, but Jet played quarterback in college," Shanahan said to reporters on Tuesday. "So, I'm probably going to go with Jet. Hopefully, it never comes down to that."
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McKinnon, the 49ers' second-leading rusher this season, was a triple-option quarterback in college at Georgia Southern University. While he still did most of his damage as a ball-carrier in college, McKinnon does have experience at quarterback under his belt. He finished his college career with 4,138 all-purpose yards, 42 rushing touchdowns and 12 passing TDs.
If McKinnon were to take snaps at QB in a game, he likely wouldn't be airing it out. The ultra-creative Shanahan would scheme up some wild plays, utilizing the likes of McKinnon, Raheem Mostert, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. It might not be pretty, but it would be fun.
With COVID-19 still ravaging the country, some teams have gone to extreme measures to make sure they have a quarterback on gameday. Buffalo Bills rookie quarterback Jake Fromm, for example, practices away from the team. Shanahan doesn't see the 49ers taking that road this season.
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"I know people think you should just quarantine a quarterback and just have him sitting there in a room, just on ice, ready to come out when time's needed," Shanahan said. "If it gets to that point, I feel bad for that guy too. You can't just go into an NFL game after being locked in a room for weeks until you're needed and think you're going to go out there and perform much better than a practice squad receiver would at quarterback.
"That sounds nice, but if it gets to that point, no answer is very good. So, you just deal with it."
The 49ers have their answer in McKinnon, which is a much more viable option than most teams around the NFL.