Getty The 49ers signed QB Josh Rosen off the Bucs practice squad.
The San Francisco 49ers are taking a chance on former highly-touted quarterback Josh Rosen. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Niners signed Rosen off the Buccaneers’ practice squad.
“49ers are signing Josh Rosen off the Buccaneers’ practice squad, as ESPN reported,” Garafolo tweeted. “Got him just before the deadline for Tampa to protect him.”
The former UCLA signal-caller was selected by the Cardinals with the No. 10 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and was one of the top quarterback prospects in his class. One year later, Arizona opted to move away from Rosen after selecting Kyler Murray with the No. 1 pick. Rosen was traded to the Dolphins but only made it one season before being released. The Buccaneers signed Rosen to the team’s practice squad, and he now enters an intriguing situation in San Francisco given the 49ers’ uncertainty at quarterback.
Arians on Rosen: ‘It’s a Great Guy to Groom’
Rosen’s NFL career has not gone the way many expected, but he is just 23 years old. The quarterback is an intriguing developmental player for Kyle Shanahan to work with as the team looks to solidify the position heading into 2021. Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians described Rosen as a “great guy to groom” when the team signed him in September.
“I think it was an excellent move,” Arians noted, per Tampa Bay Times. “Josh wanted to be here. We wanted him here. I really liked him coming out (of college). Byron (Leftwich) had him for eight or nine games as a starter with a really bad football team. He was around Miami, he learned, he’s sharp, he’s big — he’s got everything you’re looking for, so it’s a great guy to groom.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed that Josh Johnson being placed on the team’s COVID list prompted the Niners to take a look at Rosen.
“Postscript: San Francisco would have promoted QB Josh Johnson from its practice squad to its active roster, with a chance to play, but he tested positive for COVID, per source,” Schefter noted on Twitter. “49ers then signed former first-round pick Josh Rosen off Tampa Bay’s practice squad.”
Shanahan Expects Garoppolo to be the 49ers Starting QB in 2021
Shanahan has publicly backed Jimmy Garoppolo who has been sidelined for much of 2020 with injuries. Earlier this season, Shanahan noted that he expects Garoppolo to be the team’s starting quarterback in 2021.
The majority of Garoppolo’s guaranteed money has already been paid creating some speculation that the Niners could move in a different direction this offseason. Shanahan discussed what he looks at when evaluating quarterbacks without mentioning any players by name.
“I evaluate quarterbacks in terms of trying to find people who can have a chance to be one of those elite-type guys, and there’s lots of different ways to do it,” Shanahan explained, per 49ersWebZone.com. “You can see now, there’s plenty of different ways. I don’t think that will ever change. I don’t think you have one certain type you’re looking for. You’re just trying to find a guy who is better than about 98 percent of the people on this planet, or in this country, and when you find that, you get him, and you adjust to him.”
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