QB Josh Johnson among those cut by 49ers

Harbaugh took a chance on the undersized Johnson at San Diego, developing the 5-foot-11, 145-pound Oakland Tech prep star into a record-setting college QB. But Colin Kaepernick emerged as the steady backup to Alex Smith and Scott Tolzien has been consistent enough to earn the No. 3 spot.

Running back and special teams standout Anthony Dixon made the team, while Rock Cartwright became the odd man out ahead of the opener Sept. 9 at Green Bay. Former Stanford star Chris Owusu also was cut, though he's a strong candidate for a spot on the practice squad.

The 26-year-old Johnson has a good chance of landing with a team still in need of quarterback depth. He started five games in four seasons with Tampa Bay and has completed 96 of 177 passes for 1,042 yards, five touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 26 career appearances.

When he joined the Niners in March, Johnson said it was no big deal the team already had three quarterbacks on the roster. He was thrilled to get a chance to learn more working for Harbaugh.

But even after a nice game Thursday, Johnson said he wasn't sure where he stood.

"We'll just have to find out," he said. "My biggest thing was just coming out and playing football, just being a football player. From the quarterback position, that's what I do best."