David Carr only has planned a visit, mind you. But the fact that he has made Santa Clara his first free-agent stop is telling. Here's how a Carr signing likely would impact the 49ers' quarterback situation:
Alex Smith: Carr likely has made the 49ers his first stop because he and his agents see vulnerability at the top of the team's quarterback depth chart. Whether he's been promised a shot at the starting job remains to be seen. After all, Mike Singletary gave Smith a vote of confidence at last week's combine. "I feel very good about saying that Alex Smith is our starter going into next season," he said. But Singletary also said at the time that he wants competition at every position. At the very least, Carr's presence will be seen as motivation for Smith. Carr is a former starter with considerable physical skills. The 49ers, however, are likely looking at Carr as "Smith insurance" should Smith get hurt or play poorly. The buzzword for the offseason is "continuity" and part of that continuity is seeing what Smith can do when given a chance to run the same offense in consecutive seasons. But the 49ers also see a real opportunity to win the division in 2010. They want to bolster the most important position on the team to make that happen.
Shaun Hill: A Carr signing likely would be bad news for Shaun Hill. After being a back up for seven seasons, Hill finally got his chance to begin a season as a team's starter in 2009. He began 3-1 and would have been 4-0 if not for Brett Favre's last-second heave in Minnesota. But the 49ers soon were blown out at home against Atlanta and got off to a terrible start in Houston. Fair or not, there was a sense among 49ers officials that the offense was limited with Hill in charge. At half time of the Houston game, Hill was benched in favor of Smith and Smith started the rest of the season. The bottom line is that despite Hill's 10-6 record as a starter, the 49ers appear to have moved on.
Nate Davis: Carr doesn't affect Davis' status much. He is seen as a long-term project and the 49ers are taking him along slowly. He likely will begin the season as the No. 3 quarterback whether another veteran is added or not.
-- Matt Barrows
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