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The San Francisco 49ers' mission to take down the Eagles in Philadelphia became much more difficult with an injury to starting quarterback Brock Purdy, who suffered an elbow injury following a fumble by Haason Reddick.
With Purdy telling head coach Kyle Shanahan "I can't throw the ball", backup quarterback Josh Johnson took over for the 49ers. He's the fourth quarterback to play for San Francisco this year.
Johnson is one of the oldest figures in the NFL. The 36-year-old quarterback has never established himself as a starter in the league, but he has played for more than 10 teams during his career. This is his fourth stint with San Francisco — he also played for the franchise in 2012, 2014 and 2021.
He has never featured in a playoff game. Since being drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2008, he has thrown 13 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in his NFL career.
Starter quarterback Trey Lance went down for the season back in Week 2. Jimmy Garoppolo took over, but he also got injured midseason and Purdy, the seventh-round rookie quarterback out of Iowa State, became the starter.
Johnson signed with the 49ers on Dec. 4. The list of NFL teams he has already played for is really long: Buccaneers, Ravens, Bengals, Browns, Jets, Commanders, Colts, Bills, Lions, Broncos, Giants, Raiders, Texans and 49ers.
What's the depth chart for the 49ers the next season?
Only two quarterbacks are signed for San Francisco next season, and the franchise will have to make a major decision with both of them.
Jimmy Garoppolo and Josh Johnson are both set to become free agents in 2023 and none is expected to return. Kyle Shanahan will have to decide who's going to be his starter: Trey Lance, for whom they've traded many picks to move up in the draft, or Brock Purdy, the rookie who surpassed expectations in 2022.
It's probable that San Francisco will just hold a training camp battle and let the best guy win the job, but after what Purdy did, he holds the favoritism — after all, Trey Lance has not proved himself in the league. Either way, the decision will be huge and one of the biggest storylines of the offseason.
