The San Francisco 49ers' battle for the No. 3 quarterback job is one of the more intriguing storylines of training camp, even if it isn't among the team's highest-profile competitions.
Second-year quarterback Kurtis Rourke spent most of his rookie season recovering from ACL surgery and is now competing with Adrian Martinez for the QB3 role behind Brock Purdy and Mac Jones.
Rourke, a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, flashed his potential during Monday's practice, capping the session with an impressive completion to wide receiver Junior Bergen.
Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak spoke with reporters before Wednesday's practice—the third full session of 49ers training camp—and offered an update on the competition.
"Kurtis is doing great," Kubiak said. "First of all, the competition between those guys is going to be all camp. Those guys, they've embraced it, and those guys do a great job of coming out every day and getting their minimal reps they get, and getting the most out of them. They've done a good job so far.
"To me, that's (the competition) going to emerge through the preseason games. That's when those guys are going to get the most of their reps, is in preseason. They're going to play a lot, and that battle, that competition will kind of play itself out. And whoever plays the best is probably going to end up winning that battle."
Kubiak stopped short of identifying a frontrunner, instead highlighting the strengths each quarterback has shown early in camp while emphasizing that preseason performances will be key in determining the winner.
"But as far as Kurtis and Adrian go, Kurtis is what we thought he was, as far as the size, the mental strength he has, and his ability to throw the football," Kubiak said. "It's been jumping out to us in these first two days, and he's got to keep stacking days and getting better.
"Adrian's a pro. Adrian does things the right way. The ball goes where it's supposed to go when Adrian's in the game, and it's the same thing: consistency, learning from mistakes, getting better each day, and then the preseason games will dictate a lot of those decisions."
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