Several days after acquiring the No. 3 overall pick from the Dolphins, the 49ers signed longtime Eagles third-stringer Nate Sudfeld. San Francisco added Sudfeld to a quarterback room that already included Jimmy Garoppolo and Josh Rosen, with a rookie passer on the way. The team will likely attempt to retain all four QBs going into Week 1.
Garoppolo and Trey Lance will be the 49ers’ first- and second-string QBs, with the order depending on how quickly the Division I-FCS product progresses, while Rosen and Sudfeld vie for the third-string position. But the 49ers should be expected, per The Athletic’s David Lombardi, to keep all four quarterbacks this season (subscription required). That should be the aim, at least.
The loser of the Rosen-Sudfeld competition should be expected to land on San Francisco’s practice squad, Lombardi adds, rather than the team jettisoning this lower-profile battle’s runner-up for good. This would require no team claiming the QB3 competition’s loser on waivers, however. Both have practice squad experience, with Sudfeld beginning his Eagles tenure on their taxi squad and Rosen plummeting to that level — with thet Buccaneers — after active-roster stints with the Cardinals and Dolphins.
Both players are set to make less than $1MM this season, with Rosen tied to a non-guaranteed $850K salary and Sudfeld set to make $990K. The 49ers guaranteed Sudfeld $252K. Neither player is signed beyond 2021. While Sudfeld resurfaced as a controversial contributor in Philadelphia’s Week 17 game last season, Rosen has not taken a snap since Week 9 of the 2019 season. The 49ers signed the ex-UCLA top prospect off the Bucs’ practice squad late last year.
With Garoppolo likely set to depart San Francisco after the 2021 season, this year’s Rosen-Sudfeld competition could determine the team’s 2022 Lance backup. The 49ers let former third-round pick C.J. Beathard walk in free agency and non-tendered RFA Nick Mullens. Garoppolo’s previous backups are now in Jacksonville and Philly, respectively.
Rosen spending the 2021 season under Kyle Shanahan would be interesting, given the low-quality situations the former No. 10 overall pick enjoyed in Arizona and Miami. Still just 24, Rosen profiles as an interesting developmental player — despite shaky in-game work to date. Sudfeld, 27, has a lower ceiling at this point, though he did serve as Nick Foles‘ backup during the 2017 and ’18 playoffs.
I’m not even sure Rosen or Sudfeld would be an improvement over Tom Savage.
I would probably lean towards Savage, just barely. Rosen is terrible and Sudfield in limited action has looked even worse. None of them will see the field barring major injuries, though. And at that point, you’re probably tanking, anyway.
With the right coaching and in the right situation, Rosen could be an average starter or a good backup.
At best he Matthew Stafford , at worse he Alex smith with the right coaching .
I will never get the hate for Rosen. Like how many QBs can do well with what 3 different team in like 4 season in the league not many. The card mess wasn’t his fault. Since the new coach had no ties with him and wanted the shinny new toy in Kyle Murry . Same for Miami always had a hard on for tua. Maybe Kyle will be the one to teach him something
Hopefully he’ll be the 21st Century version of Len Dawson, though it was only two teams over five years for Lenny Cool, and his college coach saved him by bringing him over to the AFL (don’t think Jim Mora is going to get another chance in the NFL).
Coaches in Philly seemed to really like Sudfeld, and if the 49ers want to keep him then he must be making a good impression with them as well. He must show more promise behind the scenes than what we’ve seen in the limited game action he’s received to this point.