SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- If the San Francisco 49ers are going to keep a young quarterback to develop, it appears it will be McLeod Bethel-Thompson again.
The 49ers cut rookie quarterback Kory Faulkner on Tuesday and claimed tackle Michael Philipp off of waivers from Miami.
The 49ers had praise for Faulkner during offseason workouts, and coach Jim Harbaugh worked him out at Southern Illinois prior to the draft. Faulkner said he had every intention of signing with the 49ers once he went undrafted.
But the 49ers have crowded group of quarterbacks, and when Philipp was claimed, Faulkner was expendable.
The 49ers will likely keep starter Colin Kaepernick and backup Blaine Gabbert on the 53-man roster. That would leave Josh Johnson out. Bethel-Thompson could go to the practice squad, where he spent most of his time last season.
As for Philipp, he was an undrafted free agent from Oregon State this year and will likely provide camp depth.
