The San Francisco 49ers, in desperate need of a backup quarterback for Saturday's game against the Arizona Cardinals, are signing former first-round pick Josh Rosen off of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and Field Yates.
49ers are signing QB Josh Rosen off the Buccaneers practice squad on to SF's active roster, per @FieldYates and me.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 22, 2020
San Francisco is desperate because it is down to one healthy/available quarterback on the roster — C.J. Beathard. Nick Mullens suffered an elbow injury on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys and will require surgery. His season is over. On Tuesday, the team opened the practice window for Jimmy Garoppolo, but he is not expected to play on Saturday. He is attempting to return from the high-ankle sprain suffered during Week 8.
Practice squad quarterback Josh Johnson isn't an option. The 49ers placed him on the reserve/COVID-19 list as part of several Tuesday roster moves.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that the 49ers were looking to sign a quarterback off another team's practice squad.
"I mean, if someone doesn't come off someone's practice squad and come to our team, there's no other option," Shanahan said. "You can't get a guy off the street. It takes six days to do that, so if we can't get someone off someone's practice squad, that's exactly what we'll have to do."
Rosen is 23 years old, and will likely be suited up on Saturday against his former team.
The Cardinals drafted Rosen out of UCLA with the No. 10 overall pick in 2018 and he was traded to the Miami Dolphins after his rookie season. Rosen has completed 54.8 percent of his passes for 2,845 yards with 12 touchdowns and 19 interceptions through his first two NFL seasons. He has not thrown a pass in 2020.