Former 49ers QB C.J. Beathard to have tryout with Jaguars

Heading into the weekend, the Jacksonville Jaguars have former NFL darling Gardner Minshew and 2020 rookie Jake Luton filling quarterback spaces on the depth chart. Both will be leapfrogged by Clemson Tigers star Trevor Lawrence once the Jaguars select him first overall in the NFL Draft on April 29. 

On Friday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted that former San Francisco 49ers signal-caller C.J. Beathard will have a tryout with the Jaguars. Interestingly, Rapoport's news came after Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer failed to truly commit to keeping Minshew on the roster before and through the upcoming draft. 

"At this point, no," Meyer responded when asked if he was considering dealing Minshew to a potential buyer on Friday. 

Barring an injury setback or dreadful practices and performances during the preseason, Lawrence should start for Jacksonville on snap one of Week 1. Minshew could have some value this fall, however, if a different team finds itself in need of a spot-starter because its first-choice quarterback is sidelined for whatever reason(s). 

Beathard might never win the Super Bowl as a QB1, but he's a reliable backup who has thrown 18 touchdowns and completed 58.6% of his passes across 19 NFL appearances. Even though he's only 27, he could also mentor Lawrence if the Jaguars trade Minshew at any point before training camp.