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Mordecai

None of the four of them signed yet, so it’s possible the Colts are just doing some homework on a potential Anthony Richardson replacement at backup quarterback rather than settling for this pool of candidates. Trask hadn’t had a workout since being released by the Bucs at last cuts.

The veteran back didn’t play in the preseason at all despite the amount of injuries the 49ers running back room dealt with. He’s a likely practice squad candidate after playing with the 49ers last season. The 49ers also waived/injured QB Carter Bradley and QB Tanner Mordecai, while waiving (regular) DL Jaylon Allen and DL Shakel Brown. Finally, they sent OL Isaiah Prince to injured reserve.

Things have been quite busy for St. Brown. The 49ers signed, cut and signed him again before making this move. The veteran wide receiver will now miss the 2025 season, unfortunately. The 49ers correspondingly signed QB Tanner Mordecai.

A journeyman kicker who spent time with three different teams last season, Joseph is now in search of a new home. Joseph appeared in just eight games in 2024, attempting 20 field goals and converting 16 of them. He’s a lifetime 82.3 percent kicker on his field goal attempts and is 17-for-30 in his career on distances of 50-plus yards. With plenty of teams out there who could use an upgrade at the position, it wouldn’t be surprising if Joseph joined another camp in the coming days in hopes of landing on a 53-man roster. In addition to Joseph, the 49ers also let go CB Tre Avery, WR Isaiah Neyor, QB Tanner Mordecai, and TE Mason Pline.

Mordecai, 24, will begin the year as the third quarterback for San Francisco as depth behind Brock Purdy and Josh Dobbs.

Mordecai (6'2/208) made some noise at SMU last year, completing 67.8% of his 454 passing attempts for 3,628 yards with 39 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He’s considered among the best quarterbacks in the Group Of Five ahead of the season, with Anthony Treash of Pro Football Focus recently naming him the No. 4 quarterback in G5, placing him behind Jaren Hall (BYU) and ahead of Jake Haener (Fresno State). Grayson McCall (Coastal Carolina) led the way in those rankings at No. 1, with Jake Haener (Fresno State) bringing up the rear at No. 5.

Mordecai (6'2/208) clearly wasn’t at his best, throwing multiple interceptions for the first time in his last eight games as SMU ends the regular season losing four of their last five contests. His best play came on a fourth-and-seven when he bought time by rolling left and hit Roderick Daniels for a 21-yard scoring strike to narrow SMU’s deficit to one score in the fourth quarter. However his inconsistent accuracy combined with a listless performance from a Mustangs team that just lost their HC Sonny Dykes to TCU earlier in the week ultimately spelled doom for SMU. Despite an underwhelming finish to the season, Mordecai still threw for 3,628 yards, 39 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in his first year as a starting quarterback.

Mordecai (6'2/208) objectively had the worst game of his career against a smothering Cincinnati defense that was in the backfield tormenting him all game long. You name it, and it went wrong for the Mustangs. They allowed a blocked punt in addition to losing a fumble and averaged a paltry 3.2 yards per play. His only redeeming play of the game was a three-yard scoring strike to Rashee Rice, but it doesn’t make up for the fact SMU got completely dominated in every facet of the game by a superior UC team. They will try to end the regular season on a high note next Friday against Tulsa.

Mordecai (6'2"/208) was great, distributing the ball to a number of wide receivers (three different guys caught touchdowns) but honestly the whole team had no trouble running riot on an overmatched UCF defense. The Mustangs had 631 total yards, and were 12/18 on third down. It was entirely too easy, and UCF’s tackling was abysmal. Mordecai’s best touchdown pass came in the third quarter, throwing a back shoulder fade to Reggie Roberson, dropping it in the perfect spot where only he could make a play on it despite being double covered. It was a great warmup for the Mustangs, who have their entire season to play for next week against Cincinnati.

Mordecai (6'2/208) was not at his best against the Tigers, as they did an excellent job of taking away the Mustangs run offense without stacking the box which put a lot of pressure on their signal caller. On the day, SMU gained just 61 yards on 2.1 yards per carry without starting RB Ulysses Bentley who is nursing an ankle injury. Since they could not keep Memphis’ defense honest, it allowed their defensive line to pin their ears back and ritually harass Mordecai who took five sacks in the contest and turned the ball over twice. His interception was particularly costly, as the Mustangs had just intercepted Seth Henigan and had excellent field position before Mordecai tried to force a pass into Danny Gray that allowed the safety to step in front and pick the ball off, which allowed Memphis to run out the clock and secure the narrow three point victory. SMU has another tough test next week at home against UCF.