49ers Waive Josh Rosen after Preseason Debut

The 49ers waived former first round pick, quarterback Josh Rosen, after one preseason game.

The San Francisco 49ers made an early roster cut in their quarterback room on Tuesday, releasing backup Josh Rosen. 

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.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 17, 2021

Rosen was competing with Nate Sudfeld to be one of the two backup quarterbacks behind Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance. 

San Francisco signed him off Tampa Bay’s practice squad last season on Dec. 23, when Garoppolo, Nick Mullens, and Josh Johnson were all injured. Rosen did not appear in a game. 

He re-signed with the 49ers on Feb. 8 and did not do much to separate himself from Sudfeld, who has more familiarity with 49ers quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello. 

“I think [Rosen] started off real well,” Shanahan told the media on Aug. 8. “I think he’s taken a couple steps back the last few practices.” 

Why did the 49ers sign Josh Rosen in the first place? It's obvious they preferred Nate Sudfeld. Should have cut Rosen months ago.

— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) August 17, 2021

He finished off the 49ers’ first preseason game on Aug. 14, completing 10 of 15 passes for 93 yards and an interception. 

The UCLA product entered the NFL as one of the most hyped quarterback prospects, going No. 10 in 2018 to the Arizona Cardinals, and received his first NFL start in Week 4. 

Rosen’s time with Arizona lasted just one season, however. The Cardinals selected Kyler Murray No. 1 in the next NFL Draft, and promptly traded their former quarterback of the future to the Miami Dolphins for a second- and fifth-round pick. 

After a season of sharing snaps with Ryan Fitzpatrick, Rosen was again superseded by a top draft pick, as Miami selected Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa fifth overall in 2020. 

In 20 career NFL games (16 starts), Rosen is 3-13 with a 54.8 completion percentage, 2,845 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, 19 interceptions, and 63.5 quarterback rating. 

The lack of protection and consistency likely contributed to Rosen’s unfulfillment as a quarterback. Porous offensive lines didn’t help either. 

Like most young quarterbacks, Rosen has struggled when rushed, which has happened a lot. He was pressured 27% of drop backs in 2018, and 36.7% in 2019. 

For example, Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow, who was sacked a staggering 32 times in 10 games last year, was pressured 24.1% of snaps. 

Rosen’s NFL career is not over yet. A team could see the untapped potential and take a chance, like San Francisco did last season. 

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