Josh Rosen probably won't get the opportunity to play this weekend against his former team, the Arizona Cardinals. But perhaps he'll have a chance over the next week or so to show the 49ers he deserves to stay with the team once the 2020 season comes to a close.
The 49ers signed Rosen off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' practice squad earlier this week in order to add an extra body at the quarterback position with Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle), Nick Mullens (elbow), and practice squad quarterback Josh Johnson (COVID-19) all unavailable to play against the Cardinals on Saturday (4:30 p.m. EST/1:30 p.m. PST, Amazon Prime/Twitch). Rosen would probably love to get a shot at the Cardinals, who selected him in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft only to trade him away a year later when the team decided to use the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on quarterback Kyler Murray. But he won't get that chance unless something unforeseen happens to C.J. Beathard, who will be getting the start in place of Mullens this week.
"I'm not taking C.J. out unless he can't go because he's injured," 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Thursday, via David Lombardi of The Athletic.
Rosen may wind up being just a temporary emergency quarterback for the 49ers, but he'll at least have the opportunity in practice to show the 49ers he's worthy of another look once workouts begin in the spring. He won't have much time to show what he can do given that the season comes to an end on January 3. But if he's able to leave a good impression, the 49ers could decide to bring him back to compete for a spot at some point down the road.
Shanahan emphasizes that Josh Rosen was brought aboard in a bind for emergency backup purposes. "Of course there's a chance" that he can stick beyond these two games, Shanahan said, but whatever happens for here on out depends on how well Rosen acclimates/picks up playbook
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) December 24, 2020
Rosen, 23, played in 14 games with the Cardinals and compiled a 3-10 record as a starter, completing 217 of 393 passes for 2,278 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Two of his wins with the Cardinals came against the 49ers. The Cardinals traded Rosen in April of 2019 to the Miami Dolphins, for whom he played in three games and threw for 567 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions on 58 of 109 passing. The Dolphins cut Rosen in September after one season.