Getty The 49ers added quarterback Josh Rosen in Week 16.
Preseason cuts continued today, as the San Francisco 49ers announced the team is parting ways with a once-highly touted quarterback.
Mike Garafolo, a reporter with the NFL Network, reported the news on Twitter Tuesday morning, Aug. 17.
The #49ers are waiving QB Josh Rosen, source says. Rosen mentioned recently he wasn’t getting enough reps in practice. A chance to latch on elsewhere for the rest of camp now.
“The #49ers are waiving QB Josh Rosen, source says,” Garafolo tweeted. “Rosen mentioned recently he wasn’t getting enough reps in practice. A chance to latch on elsewhere for the rest of camp now.”
Rosen’s Prospects in San Francisco Dwindled Quickly
GettyTrey Lance, of the San Francisco 49ers, works out during training camp at SAP Performance Facility on July 28, 2021, in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The Niners plucked Rosen from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad last season, then resigned him during the offseason. But Rosen’s status with the team changed drastically when general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan executed a trade with the Miami Dolphins to move up and select third overall in this year’s NFL draft.
Before that, Rosen was in a position to compete for third-string quarterback duties with Nate Sudfield. Playing behind the oft-injured Jimmy Garoppolo, just suiting up and being on the sidelines in San Francisco made eventually taking some snaps for the team a realistic possibility.
But the addition of a top draft talent with a hefty price tag was a disaster for the former UCLA QB’s prospects of ever actually seeing the field.
Team management never hid the fact that the decision to move up to No. 3 was made in an attempt to secure San Francisco’s future under center for the next decade, give or take. After the Niners selected 21-year-old Trey Lance and it became clear he was ready both physically and mentally to challenge for the starting job, Rosen’s footing with the team lessened to an even greater extent.
Rosen Stock Has Plummeted Just 3 Years Into NFL Tenure
GettyThe 49ers cut quarterback Josh Rosen on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021.
Rosen was once a highly-touted prospect. He was drafted 10th overall by the Arizona Cardinals in 2018. As a rookie, he appeared in 14 games, starting 13 of those. The Cardinals struggled to a 3-10 record with Rosen as a starter. He completed 55.2% of his passes for 2,278 yards, throwing for 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions along the way.
Kliff Kingsbury, recently fired from Texas Tech, assumed head coaching duties with the Cardinals the following year and drafted Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray out of Oklahoma to replace Rosen.
Since then, Rosen has played for the Dolphins, the Buccaneers and the Niners. He was afforded the majority of San Francisco’s snaps in the second half of its opening preseason game on Saturday, Aug. 14 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Rosen threw 15 passes, completing 10 of them for 93 yards and one interception.
Shanahan and company had clearly seen enough by Tuesday, when the Niners were required to file an official 85-man roster with the NFL. After cutting Rosen, San Francisco is down to three quarterbacks on the depth chart, as well as 84 total players.
The team also cut three defenders on Monday, two linebackers and a defensive lineman, while signing linebacker Mychal Kendricks, a former member of the Seattle Seahawks, to a one-year deal.
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Niners Cut Former Top-10 Draft Pick: Report