Nate Sudfeld could be separating himself from Josh Rosen in the race for the third quarterback spot on the 49ers’ roster. That is, assuming the 49ers keep three quarterbacks as they have in each of Kyle Shanahan’s four seasons as head coach.
While there isn’t an open competition between Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance for the starting quarterback job, there’s very much a battle between Sudfeld and Rosen. The latest we heard on Rosen was from Shanahan, who said the former No. 10 overall pick wasn’t playing well after a good start to camp. Meanwhile, Sudfeld made a standout play the Wednesday before the 49ers’ preseason opener against the Chiefs.
ESPN’s Nick Wagoner while tweeting out some of the notable quarterback moments from Wednesday’s practice tweeted this:
Perhaps the best throw of the day period came from third-stringer Nate Sudfeld. Rolling to his right, Sudfeld threw across his body on the move deep down right sideline to River Cracraft for a big gain.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) August 11, 2021
One throw does not a roster spot make, but it’s noteworthy that Sudfeld is making plays like that while Rosen simultaneously appears to be losing ground.
Generally position battles don’t come down to preseason games, but it feels like those contests are going to be significant for both Sudfeld and Rosen in their quest for the third QB job. On the other hand, if Sudfeld keeps coming up with highlight plays, he may just steal the job in practice.