The 49ers are onto their third starting quarterback of the 2022 NFL season.
San Francisco, which started the campaign with sophomore signal-caller Trey Lance behind center, saw Jimmy Garoppolo go down with a foot injury in Sunday’s home win over the Miami Dolphins. Garoppolo, who is on an expiring contract, will require season-ending surgery to repair the injury.
The next man up in the Bay Area is Brock Purdy, a 2022 seventh-round draft pick who played admirably against Miami in his first real taste of NFL action. And with an unproven rookie now leading the offense, the Niners felt inclined to add a veteran to their quarterback room, signing Josh Johnson off the Denver Broncos’ practice squad, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Johnson is famously known in the football world for being one of the most well-traveled journeymen in NFL history. The new chapter in San Francisco will mark Johnson’s 23rd (!) professional football stint since he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2008 draft. The San Diego product previously spent time with San Francisco in 2012, 2014 and 2020-2021.
A gutsy win over the high-powered Dolphins kept the 49ers in the third spot of the NFC playoff picture. Purdy will try to lead San Francisco to its sixth consecutive victory Sunday when its hosts Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
