Nate

Sudfeld

That will end Taylor’s season before it begins — he suffered the shoulder injury in the second week of the preseason. Taylor has been a deep depth piece for the 49ers, drawing 39 carries for 183 yards and a score last year, and San Francisco’s injury woes at the position will continue. This slides Jeff Wilson into a stronger position at the start of the year, perhaps as high as Christian McCaffrey’s backup if Isaac Guerrendo and Jordan James aren’t able to recover from their injuries ahead of Week 1. The 49ers signed Nate Sudfeld to take Taylor’s place on the roster and absorb some punishment in Week 3 of the preseason.

The release of Sudfeld means Hendon Hooker has presumably one the Lions’ backup quarterback job. Sudfeld was a sixth-round pick by the Washington football franchise in 2016 and was in the middle of a Week 17 controversy in 2020 when then-Eagles head coach Doug Pederson subbed out Jalen Hurts in favor of Sudfeld in a game the Eagles trailed by just three points. Washington ended up winning the game, with Pederson saying after that he thought it was a good time to give him an opportunity to get in some reps. Sudfeld has thrown for 188 yards, one touchdown, and one interception for his career. He hasn’t thrown a regular-season snap since his infamous outing with the Eagles.

Sudfeld served as Jared Goff’s backup in 2022 and had a shot at hanging onto the role last year. He was slated for a quarterback competition with Teddy Bridgewater until he suffered a torn ACL in a preseason game versus the Panthers. With Bridgewater retired, Sudfeld will compete with second-year quarterback Hendon Hooker for the backup job.

Sudfeld was brought in this offseason to serve as Jared Goff’s backup but was likely on the outs after the team signed Teddy Bridgewater. He’s likely to go on injured reserve with this injury, thus ending his 2023 season.

After serving all of last season as Goff’s backup, Sudfeld will return to a familiar role next season. The 29-year-old made two brief appearances last season but hasn’t attempted a regular season pass since 2020.

Sudfeld will serve as Jared Goff’s backup after the Lions waived David Blough. The 28-year-old spent last year on the 49ers’ practice squad. Sudfeld has never started in his NFL career and hasn’t appeared in a game since 2020.

This means the team is keeping rookie Brock Purdy on the roster as their third-string quarterback. It’s a surprising move given the $2 million, fully guaranteed contract San Francisco gave Sudfeld in the offseason. At the time, the 49ers didn’t have any plans to keep Jimmy Garoppolo on the roster. With Garoppolo ahead of Sudfeld, it made more sense for the team to develop Purdy this year instead of holding onto to another backup. Sudfeld should land on a practice squad before the start of the season.

For whatever reason, the deal is fully guaranteed and can increase to $3 million through incentives. It means Sudfeld will be a legit contender, if not the outright favorite, for No. 2 duties behind Trey Lance once Jimmy Garoppolo is traded. It’s puzzling with a soon-to-be 29-year-old who spent most of 2021 on the practice squad. Kyle Shanahan might be overthinking it on this one.

The 25-year-old was an exclusive rights free agent, so this was his only game in town. Hasty caught 23 balls for the Niners’ banged up backfield in 2021, but he remained replacement-level as both a runner and pass catcher. Although he should have an inside track on a 53-man roster spot, Hasty will remain pure depth for 2022, and is not worth keeping around in Dynasty leagues. The Niners have also re-signed DL Kevin Givens, DL Maurice Hurst and OL Colton McKivitz. QB Nate Sudfeld was inked to a reserve/future pact.

Trey Lance is in line to start with Jimmy Garoppolo (thumb) doubtful. Sudfeld will back up Lance for Sunday’s game with Houston.