The San Francisco 49ers have added depth at the quarterback position. According to ESPN’s Josina Anderson, the 49ers and Christian Ponder have agreed to a one-year contract.
Source says Christian Ponder has signed a 1yr deal with San Fran.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) August 16, 2016
At this point, it’s difficult to tell what this means. It could just be a pure depth move made in response to Thad Lewis’ injury.
Still, Ponder does have starting experience. It’s also possible that he could be being brought in to compete for the starter’s job. That becomes even more likely if Colin Kaepernick’s injury is more serious than originally thought.
Gabbert was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2011 and remained with them through 2014, starting 36 games. He didn’t play at all in 2015 but spent time with the Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos.
This now gives the 49ers two quarterbacks — Ponder and Gabbert — who were taken in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft.