
The 49ers on Friday settled all their competitions in the offensive backfield.
C.J. Beathard won the job to serve as Brian Hoyer’s backup after beating out Matt Barkley, who was released. Beathard completed 26 of 45 pass attempts for 401 yards with four touchdowns, one interception and a passer rating of 107.7. He rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown on six carries.
Also, the 49ers cut veteran running backs Tim Hightower and Kapri Bibbs, leaving the team with four running backs.
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The 49ers are expected to keep the four remaining running backs on their regular-season roster: Carlos Hyde, Raheem Mostert, Matt Breida and Joe Williams.
Williams, a fourth-round draft pick, entered camp as the player most likely to insert himself as Hyde’s backup. But although Williams led the 49ers in rushing with 130 yards on 25 carries, he might be at the bottom of the depth chart.
Williams struggled to catch the ball. He also fumbled several times in training camp, and lost a fumble Thursday night in the exhibition finale before leaving the game with a left ankle sprain.
“That’s always a big mark,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “If you can’t hold onto the ball it’s very tough to play in this league. He’s had a few of them, so that definitely is alarming -- something that we have to get fixed.”
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Mostert, who figures to be one of the 49ers’ key special-teams contributors, gained 115 yards on 19 rushing attempts in the exhibition season. Undrafted rookie Matt Breida had 69 yards on 18 attempts.
The 49ers on Friday announced 17 moves to cut their roster to 71 players. The 49ers must make 18 more roster moves to reach the regular-season limit of 53 players by 1 p.m. on Saturday.