49ers sign former first round pick Ponder

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The 49ers have signed quarterback Christian Ponder to a one-year contract, the team announced Tuesday.

Ponder, 28, was in Santa Clara on Tuesday and was scheduled to travel with the team to Denver, where the 49ers will conduct practices on Wednesday and Thursday with the Broncos. The team are set to play an exhibition game on Saturday night.

The signing of Ponder comes one day after an MRI examination revealed veteran quarterback Thad Lewis sustained a torn ACL in his left knee and will be out for the remainder of the season. The 49ers placed Lewis on the season-ending injured reserve list to create a spot on the 90-man roster for Ponder.

Also, quarterback Colin Kaepernick has not practiced since he struggled through a practice Wednesday at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco. Blaine Gabbert and rookie Jeff Driskel are the only healthy quarterbacks who were available before Ponder's arrival.

Kaepernick is dealing with a tight right shoulder, he said. The condition is likely the result of Kaepernick losing weight and strength in the offseason while rehabilitating from surgeries on his non-throwing shoulder, left knee and right thumb. The quarterbacks had thrown from 86 to 102 passes daily during the nine practices in which Kaepernick participated, 49ers coach Chip Kelly said.

[RELATED: Reports: Kaepernick not throwing at Tuesday's practice]

It is not known if Kaepernick will be available to take part in the practices or Saturday's game.

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The signing of Ponder means the 49ers now have three quarterbacks on their roster that were chosen early in the 2011 draft. Gabbert was the No. 10 selection of the Jacksonville Jaguars, while the Minnesota Vikings chose Ponder with 12th overall pick. The 49ers selected Kaepernick with the No. 36 overall pick.

Ponder started 36 games for the Vikings over four seasons. He completed 59.8 percent of his passes with 38 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. His passer rating was 75.9.

The Raiders signed Ponder in 2015, but released him before Week 1. He later signed with the Broncos in November. He was inactive for two games before he was released in December.

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