Out of a list of five nominees, Kurt Pinkert split himself up to win the chance to become the No. 3 quarterback on Team 49.
The 49ers on Tuesday signed Pinkert with the coaching staff and to book a place in the lineup behind base midfielder Jimmy Garoppolo and rookie backup Brock Purdy.
San Francisco has made two moves in the roster, adding Benkert and moving Marlon Mack to the 49ers’ 53-player roster, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area.
The 49ers had to add a third midfielder after starting player Tre Lance underwent surgery at the end of the season on Monday to repair damage to his right ankle and ligaments.
Mac’s addition became necessary after the 49-team linebackers Elijah Mitchell and Ty Davis-Price lost to injuries in their first two games of the season.
Pinkert, 27, originally joined the NFL as a rookie with the Atlanta Falcons in 2018. After three seasons primarily on the Falcons’ coaching team, he signed a contract with the Green Bay Packers last year.
He saw his only move in the NFL regular season on December 12, when he knelt twice at the end of the Packers’ win over the Chicago Bears. Green Bay was released in June.
On Tuesday, Pinkert participated in his second try with 49 players in two weeks. Mike Glennon, Kevin Hogan, AJ McCarron and Garrett Gilbert were the other quarterbacks who took part in the trial at the team’s headquarters in Santa Clara.
Mac spent the past week in the 49-man coaching staff, and now he will be active for matches due to the injuries the 49 players have already had on the comeback.
Mack, 26, was the Indianapolis Colts’ best race in 2018 and 2019, when he rushed for 1,999 yards and 17 touchdowns over those two seasons.
But he ruptured his Achilles tendon in the opening game of the 2020 season and it wasn’t the same.
Last season, he carried only 28 times for 101 yards and did not land in six games for the Colts.
Related: 49ers overreact: Is the team in worse shape after Lance’s injury?
The Houston Texans fired their Mack before the start of the regular season after rushing 90 yards in 21 preseason loads.
Mitchell is expected to be available for the 49ers in the second half of the season after sustaining a right knee injury in the season opener against the Chicago Bears.
Davis Price suffered a sprained ankle on his NFL debut on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Coach Kyle Shanahan said Davis-Price is expected to be out “a few weeks”.