The 49ers on Tuesday announced a slew of changes to their practice squad. They signed offensive lineman Tony Bergstrom and defensive lineman Willie Henry Jr. to the 16-man squad. In a corresponding move, cornerback Brian Allen, offensive lineman Cody Conway and defensive lineman Adam Shuler were all let go. Wide receiver Tavon Austin was also released with an injury settlement.
Bergstrom, 34, was a third-round pick of the Raiders in 2012. He spent three years with Oakland before bouncing to Houston, Baltimore and Washington. Through his eight seasons he’s started 21 of the 82 games he’s played in. He’ll give them additional experience and depth on the interior if they need to dip into their practice squad.
Henry spent time in the offseason with San Francisco, but was released in late July. The 2016 Ravens fourth-round pick has three starts in 17 career games. In those 17 games Henry has 36 tackles, 4.5 sacks and five pass breakups. He’s another player the 49ers may lean on if they need depth from on internal source.
Allen is the most notable name of the players let go. He was pushed into a start against the Dolphins in Week 5 because of injuries in the secondary. The outing did not go well and he was removed from the game and reverted back on the practice squad the following day.
San Francisco reached an injury settlement with Austin who hurt his knee during training camp and was placed on Injured Reserve. Going on IR before the season prevented him from playing for the 49ers this year. An injury settlement means he’s a free agent and can sign with any club. Austin signed with the 49ers in mid-August and went on IR just over two weeks later.
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