A popular aspect of 49ers training camp for the last fews years has been the completion rates of the various quarterbacks vying for starting or backup jobs. It’s an interesting note from practice, to be sure, but it’s nigh impossible to put any stock into it for a couple key reasons.
The most obvious holdup in putting stock into the camp completion rates is that it’s practice. Quarterbacks might be trying to test their arm strength or seeing how a particular throw works against a particular coverage. They might also be working with young or inexperienced receivers who don’t run the route the quarterback expects them to run.
There are myriad things that can go wrong for a QB that adversely impacts their completion rate in ways that don’t indicate good or bad performance.
Another reason is specific to the 49ers though. One of their core defensive principles is eliminating big plays, which means funneling throws underneath to allow short completions, forcing teams to go on long scoring drives each time.
Last season San Francisco’s No. 1-ranked defense allowed the 13th-highest completion rate in the NFL. The year before that they allowed the third-highest completion rate. They finished No. 1 in points and yards allowed last season. In 2021 they were No. 9 in points and No. 3 in yards.
Joint practices with the Raiders leading into the preseason opener, plus the trio of exhibition bouts will paint a much better picture of where the 49ers quarterbacks are without needing to lean on the omnipresent training camp completion rate. It’s a fun stat to look at, but particularly with San Francisco, it’s a poor indicator of overall performance.
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