San Francisco 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens likely needs surgery for a right elbow injury sustained near the end of Sunday’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys, NBC Sports reported Tuesday.
Mullens has started the last six games with Jimmy Garoppolo on injured reserve with a high-ankle sprain suffered in Week 8.
The 49ers opened the 21-day IR practice window for Garoppolo on Tuesday, but C.J. Beathard is likely to be the starter Sunday when the 49ers (5-9) face the Arizona Cardinals (8-6) in Glendale, Ariz.
In other news from the San Francisco quarterback room Tuesday, the team placed quarterback Josh Johnson and wide receiver Kevin White on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Mullens, 25, has completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 2,437 yards with 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 10 games (eight starts) this season.
Garoppolo, 29, has completed 67.1 percent of his throws for 1,096 yards with seven scores and five picks in six starts.
Beathard, 27, hopped off the bench late in the fourth quarter Sunday and completed 5 of 7 passes for 100 yards, including a game-ending 49-yard touchdown pass to Kendrick Bourne.
Johnson, 34, has not appeared in an NFL game since 2018. The 49ers signed him to the practice squad on Nov. 11.
White, 28, has played nine snaps on offense and 22 snaps on special teams in three games this season. He has no catches and one kickoff return for 20 yards.
San Francisco has lost three straight and six of its last seven games. The defending NFC champions were officially eliminated from the playoff picture with the 41-33 loss to the Cowboys.
