49ers QB Josh Rosen going wrong direction in hunt for 3rd QB spot

Former first-round pick Josh Rosen is looking to gain his NFL legs after a tumultuous start to his career. His journey to San Francisco’s third quarterback job is now going the wrong direction though.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Sunday while discussing a bad play from Rosen during that day’s practice said the quarterback is struggling after a good start to camp.

“I think he started off real well. I think he’s taken a couple of steps back the last few practices,” Shanahan said. “You know, it was unfortunate on that. We were supposed to go to someone and we had a busted route, so then it kind of fell apart and he tried to overcompensate and he made a bad situation worse.”

Rosen is in a battle with Nate Sudfeld for the No. 3 quarterback job behind Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance. He was the Cardinals’ No. 10 overall pick in the 2018 draft. Was traded to the Dolphins after a poor rookie year, then let go by Miami after he struggled in one season with them. The 49ers signed him late last year off the Buccaneers practice squad when COVID-19 sidelined 49ers QB Josh Johnson. Rosen suited up for San Francisco in two games but never saw the field.

He re-signed with the 49ers this offseason and looked to be the frontrunner for the third quarterback spot. Sudfeld’s arrival made it a competition that the former first-round pick could’ve run away with.

This will be an interesting aspect of San Francisco’s preseason matchups since both Rosen and Sudfeld could see significant playing time as they duke it out for the final spot on the QB depth chart. If Rosen doesn’t regain the ground he’s lost in Shanahan’s mind the last few practices, he could find himself moving on to his fifth team since being drafted four seasons ago.