The San Francisco 49ers weren't going to land the next hot prospect in their quest to find a veteran quarterback for the No. 3 role.
Signing 32-year-old Josh McCown gives them a player with 32 regular-season starts and a direct connection to the 49ers' staff through quarterbacks coach Geep Chryst. McCown and Chryst were with Carolina together for the past two seasons.
The third-string position generally doesn't get much attention throughout the NFL. That changed this week when news broke that the 49ers were bringing in Daunte Culpepper for a workout. Were the 49ers considering the 34-year-old Culpepper as a candidate to compete for the starting job following the team's rough showing against New Orleans in the preseason opener? If they were, good luck to them, but that wasn't likely.
Third-string veteran quarterbacks provide emergency depth. That is what McCown will provide for as long as he's with the team. It's an upset if he winds up starting for the first time since he was with Oakland in 2007.