San Francisco 49ers running back Austin Walter signed his new contract on Saturday. On Sunday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported that the team was bringing back quarterback Josh Rosen.
On Monday, the 49ers officially announced the two signings. Both players were scheduled to become exclusive-rights free agents, and each was re-signed to a one-year contract.
San Francisco now has three quarterbacks under contract for the 2021 season. They are Jimmy Garoppolo, Josh Johnson, and now Rosen.
The 49ers Communications staff provided the following rundowns.
Rosen (6-4, 226) was originally drafted by the Arizona Cardinals 10th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Throughout his three-year NFL career with the Cardinals (2018) and Miami Dolphins (2019), he has appeared in 20 games (16 starts) and completed 275 passes of 502 attempts for 2,845 yards and 12 touchdowns.
In 2020, Rosen was waived by Miami on September 4 and later signed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad on September 6. He was signed to the 49ers' active roster on December 23, where he spent the remainder of the season.
A 23-year-old native of Bellflower, CA, Rosen attended UCLA, where he started 30 games and completed 712 of his 1,170 passing attempts for 9,340 yards and 59 touchdowns. As a junior in 2017, he started 11 games, completed 283 of 452 passing attempts for 3,756 yards and 26 touchdowns, and earned Second-Team All-Pac 12 honors.
Walter (5-8, 202) was signed to the 49ers practice squad on September 23, 2020, and was later promoted to the active roster on November 11, 2020. He saw action in four games for San Francisco and registered one carry for three yards, one reception for 27 yards on offense, and returned five kickoffs for 93 yards on special teams.
Walter originally entered the NFL after signing with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent on May 6, 2019. He spent training camp with the team and was later waived on August 31, 2019. He then signed to the New York Giants practice squad on September 18, 2019. Walter was promoted to the Giants' active roster on October 10, 2019, appeared in one game and was later waived on October 14, 2019. He also spent time in the XFL with the Dallas Renegades in 2020, where he appeared in five games and registered four carries for 19 yards and two receptions for 31 yards. He
A 24-year-old native of Crosby, TX, Walter attended Rice University, where he appeared in 49 games (four starts) during his four-year career with the Owls and registered 345 carries for 1,744 yards and 13 touchdowns to go along with 79 receptions for 803 yards and five touchdowns through the air. He also added 71 kickoff returns for 1,548 yards (21.8 average).