49ers invite second QB to rookie minicamp
Steven Montez won’t be the only quarterback tasked with throwing the football during the San Francisco 49ers‘ two-day rookie minicamp, which kicks off on Friday. According to Matt Barrows of The Athletic, the team has also invited Clayton Thorson, a former fifth-round draft pick by the Philadelphia Eagles who most recently played for the Houston Gamblers of the USFL.
Thorson (6-4, 222) entered the NFL in 2019, also spending time with the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants during his three-year NFL stint.
Thorson completed 57 percent of his passes for 987 yards with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions through seven starts with the Gamblers in 2022 while adding a rushing touchdown. He finished his 2022 campaign on the inactive/injured reserve list due to an elbow injury and was released on January 5. Coincidentally, it was the same injury suffered by Brock Purdy in the NFC Championship Game—a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN. Thorson was medically cleared in January.
The 49ers currently have four quarterbacks on their roster. They are Brock Purdy, Trey Lance, Sam Darnold, and the recently-signed Brandon Allen. The team didn’t draft a quarterback or sign one as an undrafted free agent, which means San Francisco lacks a quarterback on its roster eligible to participate in its rookie minicamp.
Montez and Thorson will join the 49ers’ nine draft picks, 12 signed undrafted free agents, and several other invitees at the rookie minicamp.
