Aug. 17 (UPI) -- The San Francisco 49ers waived former first-round draft pick Josh Rosen on Tuesday after the quarterback's struggles in training camp.
With Jimmy Garoppolo and 2021 first-round selection Trey Lance cemented as the 49ers' top two signal-callers and veteran Nate Sudfeld outplaying Rosen in the competition for a possible third spot on the depth chart, Rosen became expendable when the team claimed cornerback Davontae Harris off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens.
Rosen never appeared in a regular-season game for the 49ers, who signed him from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' practice squad in December. San Francisco re-signed him in February in hopes he could challenge others on the roster for the No. 3 job, but his struggles in camp persisted over the past few weeks.
"I think he started off real well," Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan said earlier this month. "I think he's taken a couple of steps back the last few practices. You know, it was unfortunate on that.
"We were supposed to go to someone and we had a busted route, so then it kind of fell apart and he tried to overcompensate and he made a bad situation worse."
The 24-year-old Rosen played a majority of the second half in the 49ers' preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs last week. He went 10-of-15 passing for 93 yards with an interception in the 19-16 loss to the Chiefs.
The Arizona Cardinals selected Rosen with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of UCLA. He was traded to the Miami Dolphins in April 2019, then landed on the Buccaneers' practice squad in September 2020.
