SANTA CLARA – The 49ers kept three quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster, a source confirmed to CSNBayArea.com on Saturday.
The 49ers waived rookie Jeff Driskel, but retained Christian Ponder on the roster, along with Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick. All NFL teams were required to cut their rosters to the regular-season limit of 53 players by 1 p.m. (PT).
Ponder made the roster as the No. 3 quarterback after appearing in three games upon his signing on Aug. 16 after Thad Lewis sustained a season-ending knee injury.
[MAIOCCO: 49ers 2016 cut day tracker]
Gabbert is expected to be named the starting quarterback for the 49ers' regular-season opener on Monday, Sept. 12, against the Los Angeles Rams.
But now it remains to be seen if Ponder will remain as the No. 3 or if coach Chip Kelly tabs him to suit up on game days as the backup ahead of Colin Kaepernick.
Ponder completed 16 of 25 pass attempts for 198 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed for three touchdowns. Driskel, a sixth-round draft pick, completed just 15 of 31 attempted for 132 yards with no TDs and two interceptions.
