49ers starting quarterback Trey Lance is out for the year. Jimmy Garoppolo is in.
The 49ers likely will have to add someone else to the depth chart in San Francisco.
Currently, the only other quarterback on the 49ers roster is rookie Brock Purdy. The last man taken in the 2022 draft, Purdy beat out Nate Sudfeld for the third spot on the active roster.
The cupboard is otherwise currently bare. And Sudfeld is now the backup in Detroit.
Available free agents include Cam Newton and Colin Kaepernick (we all know that’s not happening). They could also attempt to sign to the active roster a player currently on another team’s practice squad, such as Josh Rosen. Rosen has previously spent time with the 49ers, and he’s currently on the Cleveland practice squad.
By rule, however, the 49ers can’t sign a quarterback from the Broncos’ practice squad, since they play Denver in six days. This keeps the 49ers from signing Josh Johnson (who has experience with the 49ers and, really, most other teams) until after next weekend. Johnson is a member of the Denver practice squad.
Coach Kyle Shanahan will likely need to do something, unless he’s willing to risk rolling with Brock Purdy. Garoppolo has had durability issues in the past. It’s one of the reasons why the 49ers traded up to draft Trey Lance. If Garoppolo gets injured, it’s Purdy or whoever else they can find.
