An NFL source has informed Aaron Wilson (@RavensInsider) that the San Francisco 49ers have released QB Josh McCown. The 49ers entered training camp with Alex Smith and three rookie quarterbacks on the roster. They subsequently signed McCown to bring a veteran presence further down the depth chart. McCown saw no playing time against the Houston Texans but did enter briefly against the San Diego Chargers where he was 4 for 4 for 51 yards.
The 49ers officially named Alex Smith their starting quarterback after the Chargers game, but they are unlikely to enter the season with just Smith and Colin Kaepernick, or even Smith, Kaepernick and McLeod Bethel-Thompson as their quarterbacks. While Kaepernick is a potential QB of the future, his struggles in the preseason show how much work he still has to do. If Smith were to go down with an injury, the 49ers will need a viable option if they want to remain competitive in 2011.
There will be a host of quarterbacks in free agency after roster cuts today. It would be surprising if the 49ers did not kick the tires on at least one of them.