San Francisco 49ers quarterback Thad Lewis runs with the ball as Houston Texans linebacker Eric Lee (47) gives chase during the first half of an NFL preseason football game Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016, in Santa Clara, Calif.
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Quarterback Thad Lewis is out for the season with a torn ACL, San Francisco 49ers coach Chip Kelly said Monday.
With 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick nursing a tired right arm, Lewis was the first off the bench behind starter Blaine Gabbert against Houston. The 49ers were hoping that the injury would be just a minor one, but Monday’s diagnosis puts an end to any of that hope.
Before the injury, Lewis was considered to be in competition for a potential third quarterback spot on the roster against rookie Jeff Driskel. He broke several tackles earlier in the game while totaling four carries for 10 yards.
Lewis was with the Eagles last season and is the only quarterback on the current roster with experience in Kelly’s offense.
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“I’m just really disappointed for him because I thought he played well yesterday”, Kelly said. Lewis was hit as he went to the ground but Kelly said Lewis didn’t believe he was hurt that badly on the play. In the game, Lewis was the second-string quarterback behind Blaine Gabbert and saw a significant amount of playing time. I felt we finally got in a groove the third series.’ He understood how the no-huddle works, which we hadn’t really done that before here. “He was with us in Philly last year, and this was his second year in the system, and you could see him get into a rhythm (Sunday)”. Kelly said that has not been discussed, and it’s not out of the question.
