San Francisco 49ers Waive Former Top Pick QB Josh Rosen

The San Francisco 49ers waived quarterback Josh Rosen on Tuesday. The team announced that they have claimed CB Davontae Harris off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens with the roster spot created by Rosen’s release.

The decision to waive Rosen comes after the quarterback said publicly that he wasn’t getting many opportunities for snaps in training camp.

The former No. 10 overall pick faces an uncertain future in the NFL. The quarterback was originally selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2018 NFL draft. The following year he was traded to the Miami Dolphins and then was waived by the team in 2020. He then was signed and added to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad. He was signed by the 49ers from the Bucs’ practice squad on Dec. 23, 2020, his fourth team in four years.

Rosen’s stint with the 49ers was short-lived. He never made an appearance for the team but was re-signed for another year. There was hope that he could become the third in the depth chart, but struggles in training camp proved to be his demise.

“I think he started really well,” coach Kyle Shanahan said on Aug. 8. “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.”

Rosen played most of the second half in last week’s preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, going 10-of-15 for 93 yards and an interception in a 19-16 loss. Following the game, Rosen spoke about how much he liked playing in Shanahan’s system but noted its difficulties when you aren’t getting as many reps as the top two quarterbacks.

“It’s been a pleasure,” Rosen said. “I really look forward to coming to work every day, and Kyle is a brilliant offensive coordinator/head coach. Just coming to work every day, it’s really fun playing football. I like playing for these guys, I like playing with this team. So, in general, it’s very positive, I’ve had a lot of fun.”