The San Francisco 49ers signed quarterback Mac Jones to a two-year deal this offseason, aiming to strengthen the depth behind starter Brock Purdy. While Purdy remains the clear No. 1 and is entering his fourth NFL season—all with the 49ers—Jones is now on his third team since being drafted 15th overall by the New England Patriots in 2021.
After some uneven play during the offseason program, Jones is settling in and showing steady progress in training camp. He's looked sharp and is displaying improved command of the offense. During Thursday's joint practice with the Denver Broncos, Jones completed a pair of deep passes. He's expected to see extensive playing time in Saturday night's preseason opener.
Purdy and many of the 49ers' starters either won't play or will see minimal reps in this weekend's game.
"Won't play a ton of them," head coach Kyle Shanahan said after practice. "Doesn't mean that we'll rest all 22. But don't expect to see a lot out there."
With limited action expected for the starters, the bulk of the quarterback reps will go to Jones and Carter Bradley. The team waived Tanner Mordecai earlier this week, leaving just three quarterbacks on the roster.
Update: The 49ers re-signed Mordecai ahead of the preseason game.
As for Jones, Shanahan praised the veteran's performance since joining the team.
"Mac's doing a good job," Shanahan said. "We've really liked what we've seen from him so far. We had an idea of what we hoped he'd be like, and he's been exactly that. He's been playing really well, and hopefully, he'll continue that."
Over his NFL career, Jones has completed 65.9% of his passes for 10,590 yards, 54 touchdowns, and 44 interceptions across 52 games (49 starts).