Quarterback news continues to find ways to impact the 49ers despite their lack of need at the position. Ian Rapoport on Thursday reported that Washington and Denver are hammering out a trade for veteran quarterback Case Keenum.
This won’t touch the 49ers on the surface since Washington resides in the NFC East and the Broncos are in the AFC. However, another team filling a need at quarterback sends a ripple effect that could run into the 49ers’ draft plans.
Chances are the effect won’t be as direct as taking a trade possibility off the board for the 49ers. Washington holds the 15th pick. That’s a steep climb up the draft board to No. 2 that would’ve taken an absurd amount of compensation.
What it does do is take Washington out of the running in a potential trade for Arizona quarterback Josh Rosen. The rumors surrounding Kyler Murray going No. 1 overall to the Cardinals, thus allowing Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa to fall to the 49ers at No. 2, center around Arizona finding a trade partner to take their second-year quarterback.
Washington made a lot of sense in that trade scenario because they’d be getting a quarterback on a rookie contract to pair with the massive salary going to injured signal caller Alex Smith. Smith may not be able to play in 2019 after a devastating broken leg late last season.
If they trade for the veteran, Keenum, they’ll be out of the running for Rosen. That means one fewer trade partner for the Cardinals in what’s becoming a rapidly-dwindling number of teams in need of a quarterback.
Fewer trade partners for the Cardinals is bad news for San Francisco in their quest to land the draft’s top edge rusher.
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