Josh Rosen has become the forgotten man from the quarterback class of 2018. His 2021 training camp is turning forgettable, too.
“I think he started off real well,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Sunday regarding Rosen. “I think he’s taken a couple of steps back the last few practices. You know, it was unfortunate on [interception during Sunday’s practice]. 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 has rarely had a good situation during his time in the NFL. A top-10 pick who lost his spot in Arizona after the Cardinals secured the ability to select Kyler Murray, Rosen didn’t pan out in Miami before accepting a practice-squad gig last year with Tampa. Then, he spotted an opportunity to learn from Shanahan and potentially get on the field. Once the 49ers made their big move for rookie quarterback Trey Lance, that possibility became more remote.
That said, Rosen could still develop into the backup to Lance, once the 49ers officially move on from Jimmy Garoppolo. It’s still unclear when that will be, because it’s impossible to know whether the incessant praise of Garoppolo is merely aimed to getting someone to trade for him before Week One.