Tag: 49ers news

49ers may need to make special teams change in Week 12

An injury could force a change on special teams for the 49ers.

Injuries to defensive end Nick Bosa and quarterback Brock Purdy headline some potential health issues that could force changes on each side of the ball for the San Francisco 49ers when they visit the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

However, a concussion for rookie fourth-round wide receiver Jacob Cowing could push the 49ers into a change on special teams as well.

Cowing has handled punt return duties for the 49ers this season and sustained a concussion in Week 11 when he took a knee to the helmet on a punt return.

He was limited in Wednesday’s practice which provided some optimism that he may be able to pass concussion protocol in time to suit up Sunday. Thursday’s practice report showed Cowing as a non-participant, which throws his status for Sunday’s showdown with the Packers into doubt.

San Francisco has a handful of options to replace Cowing if he’s unable to clear protocol.

Second-year WR Ronnie Bell returned punts for the 49ers last season and worked in there during training camp. Rookie first-round WR Ricky Pearsall has also fielded punts in practice during his time with the 49ers. Pearsall also handled 15 punt returns during his two seasons at the University of Florida.

The only player to return a punt besides Cowing this year was fullback Kyle Juszczyk, but it’s unclear whether the team would want to utilize him there for an entire game. He’s also an option if the club isn’t confident in Bell or Cowing.

Veteran wide receiver Trent Taylor is also available on the practice squad. He’s spent most of his career as a reliable punt returner, and if Cowing is out there could be room for the team to elevate Taylor from the practice roster.

Cowing this season has returned 15 punts for 124 yards with a long of 31 yards. He’s also had two muffed punts, although one came when CB Darrell Luter Jr. was blocked into him.

We’ll find out Friday if Cowing has a chance to go Sunday.

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Kyle Shanahan explains Brock Purdy’s early exit from practice

Brock Purdy left Thursday’s practice early. Head coach Kyle Shanahan shed some light on that:

There’s a question mark for the San Francisco 49ers under center as they enter a crucial Week 12 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.

Quarterback Brock Purdy sustained a right shoulder injury in the team’s Week 11 loss to the Seattle Seahawks that head coach Kyle Shanahan classified as ‘soreness.’ Purdy was listed as a limited participant in Wednesday and Thursday’s practices.

He didn’t throw at all Wednesday in the portion of practices open to reporters. Thursday reporters noted Purdy did some light throwing before leaving the field.

Shanahan in an interview on KNBR after practice explained where things stand with the 49ers’ QB heading into Friday.

“He was still limited today,” Shanahan told host Adam Copeland. “He didn’t do as much yesterday, but did a little bit more today. He went out there and did a little bit then went back in about halfway through and rested up. Hopefully it will be feeling great on Sunday.”

It’s interesting that Shanahan said Purdy left the field to rest. There’s no real clarity on whether this is a maintenance issue for Purdy or if he’s unable to throw.

If it’s the former he should be on track to play Sunday in Green Bay. If it’s the latter we may see the team turn to backup QB Brandon Allen in the biggest game of the season.

Friday isn’t liable to provide a ton of clarity unless Purdy practices in full and isn’t on the injury report. He could also be listed as ‘questionable’ which could leave the lingering question mark hanging around until inactives are announced 90 minutes before kickoff.

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49ers may avoid facing one of Packers best defenders in Week 12

The Packers may be without CB Jaire Alexander who is dealing with a PCL tear.

It looks like the San Francisco 49ers may avoid facing one of the Green Bay Packers’ best defenders.

Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander told the Athletic’s Matt Schneidman he sustained a torn PCL in Week 8 that cost him the team’s Week 9 loss to the Detroit Lions and most of their Week 11 win over the Chicago Bears. Green Bay’s Bye was in Week 10.

Alexander, a two-time Pro Bowler and a two-time Second-Team All-Pro, missed the team’s Wednesday and Thursday practices. It doesn’t sound like he’s on track to return any time soon, or at least certainly not by Sunday. He hasn’t been officially ruled out, but it looks like the Packers’ top cornerback will be out for Week 12 when the 49ers visit. Alexander attempted returning in Chicago last week and was limited to only 10 snaps.

If Alexander doesn’t go, Schneidman speculated second-year CB Carrington Valentine would get the start. Valentine started 12 of the 17 games he appeared in as a rookie seventh-round pick last season. This year he’s played in eight games with no starts, though he did receive a lion’s share of the workload after Alexander went out in Week 11.

Carrington has allowed one touchdown as a pro and has yet to record an interception. Quarterbacks have a 82.1 passer rating when targeting him according to Pro Football Focus.

Given some of the 49ers’ struggles with their passing game this season, a team missing its best cornerback could be a significant development for them as they try and exit their offensive rut in time to make a postseason run.

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No news is bad news in 49ers Week 12 injury update

The 49ers practice report didn’t get much better Thursday.

The San Francisco 49ers continued their practice week without any major updates on the injury front.

Perhaps the best news is that running back Christian McCaffrey returned to action after getting a rest day Wednesday. He got limited sessions in to start the first two weeks after his return, so there was a small red flag that went up when he was listed as a non-participant for rest in Week 12. His return to a limited practice Thursday is a good sign that things will be business as usual Friday and he won’t be on the injury report.

The other change was a concerning one for rookie wide receiver Jacob Cowing. He was a limited participant Wednesday while working through concussion protocol. Then Thursday he was a non-participant, indicating he may have had a setback that puts his status in jeopardy for Sunday.

Here’s what the Thursday practice report looked like:

Did not participate

WR Jacob Cowing (concussion)
LB Tatum Bethune (knee)
DE Nick Bosa (hip, oblique)
DT Kevin Givens (groin)
LT Trent Williams (ankle)

No Bosa and no Williams is a pretty significant concern. Both players played through injuries in Week 11, which gives some hope they may be able to do the same in Week 12. However, Bosa is dealing with hip and oblique issues now after just being listed with a hip injury last week. He also pulled himself out of the 49ers’ most recent loss. Williams didn’t practice leading up to Week 11 which gives some optimism he may be able to do the same this week, but even a limited participation Friday would be a good sign.

Limited participation

RB Christian McCaffrey (Achilles, rest)
C Jon Feliciano (knee)
TE George Kittle (hamstring)
QB Brock Purdy (right shoulder)
CB Charvarius Ward (not injury related – personal matter)

Another limited workout for Purdy is certainly concerning. Kittle remains optimistic about his return for Week 12, and head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated Ward’s return to practice doesn’t guarantee he’ll be able to suit up Sunday after his absence.

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Insider offers wild option at QB for 49ers if they don’t extend Brock Purdy

Oh dear…

It would appear the San Francisco 49ers’ future at quarterback is set with Brock Purdy.

The Athletic’s 49ers beat reporter Matt Barrows isn’t so sure.

Barrows in an appearance on 95.7 the Game in San Francisco told hosts Steiny and Guru that quarterback Aaron Rodgers could be a route the 49ers go instead of extending Purdy in the offseason since their other options are relatively thin.

“I don’t really know what the recourse would be,” Barrows said. “Do you play hardball with Brock Purdy? Who else is going to be your quarterback? Do you want Brandon Allen to be your quarterback? Do you go out and sign Sam Darnold who will be a free agent?

The one sort of intriguing possibility is in New York if things just fall apart with the Jets and all the sudden Aaron Rodgers — a guy that the 49ers were definitely interested in in the past — becomes available.”

It’s hard to imagine San Francisco would still be as interested in Rodgers as they were three or four years ago when his exit from Green Bay looked imminent. His tenure in New York has featured a catastrophic Achilles injury and a worse start than they had under Zach Wilson. Not to mention Rodgers isn’t playing particularly well and he turns 41 on Dec. 2.

Even if they’re still not sold on Purdy, they could conceivably have him play out the final year of his rookie contract before committing to a deal at or near the top of the market. The final pick in the 2022 draft is under contract through the 2025 season.

Rodgers is also under contract through 2025, but New York may be eager to move on from him given how calamitous his tenure there has been.

It sounds, per Barrows, like having Purdy play out his rookie deal would be a route the team went before making a seismic shift to an aging Hall of Famer like Rodgers.

”I just think that — two things — one is that the 49ers are not as down on Brock Purdy as the public is,” Barrows said. “I think they realize Purdy is dealing with a lot of challenges this year. And we can go over them, it’s a laundry list of things that are different from last year and that they’re very happy to have him for the future.

And B, and probably most important … the market is the market. They’re not going to — just like Brandon Aiyuk and wide receivers — they’re not gonna be able to get a discount if Brock Purdy’s numbers dip a little bit this year. That doesn’t come with a discount. They’re gonna have to pay what the going rate for a starting quarterback is, and it’s been well established — some guys we don’t think of as top-tier quarterbacks have gotten paid like top-tier quarterbacks recently.”

If Rodgers does come available, we can probably expect his name to be tied to the 49ers. He and the club are inextricably linked since they passed on him in the 2005 draft, but it sounds more like San Francisco would sooner roll with Purdy than take on Rodgers at this point.

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What to make of Christian McCaffrey’s absence from 49ers practice

Christian McCaffrey wasn’t in practice Wednesday, but there’s no real cause for concern.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey sat out the team’s practice Wednesday in the lead up to a Week 12 showdown with the Green Bay Packers.

This is a slight departure from McCaffrey’s routine during his first two weeks back with the club after a nine-week absence due to Achilles tendinitis. During those first two weeks he was a limited participant in practice Wednesday and Thursday before getting a full practice in Friday.

Wednesday of Week 12 was a little different. The 49ers listed McCaffrey as a non-participant. His Achilles injury is still listed, but they also specified that his absence was for rest and was not injury related.

It makes sense that the team would rest McCaffrey given his workload in a Week 11 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He played 59 snaps and notched 19 carries along with four receptions. The 23 touches were four more than his 19 the week prior.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated the team plans to continue utilizing McCaffrey as much as possible in games, so an additional day off during the week would behoove a team trying to manage an Achilles issue for its superstar running back.

Chances are McCaffrey is back Thursday and ready to suit up Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

If he isn’t back Thursday, there may be a bigger issue. For now, his absence is simply a rest day.

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49ers biggest cause for concern vs. Packers is familiar flaw in 2024

The Packers biggest strength this year is one of the 49ers biggest weaknesses.

Finding one clear issue with the San Francisco 49ers this season is nigh impossible. They’ve been plagued by a slew of problems throughout their 5-5 start.

All of those shortcomings have culminated one overarching flaw: the 49ers can’t close games.

They’ve had fourth quarter leads in three of their five defeats, and four of their five losses have been by one score. Their inability to finish games could rear its head again Sunday in a crucial matchup with the Green Bay Packers.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday in a press conference was asked about Brock Purdy’s up-and-down season, and used it as an opportunity to identify why the team’s inability to close teams out could be a problem in Green Bay.

“And to me that’s come all the way down to how we finish games,” Shanahan said. “And we’ve had four games here that have come down to the last two possessions and we’ve only won one of those. And that’s the difference between eight-and-two and five-and-five with the one we won being Tampa. In contrast, you look at a team like Green Bay, they’ve had seven games come down to the last possession and they’ve won six of them, with the only one they lost being the opening game versus Philly. And that’s why they have such a good record.”

The only Packers games to not be decided by one score this year were a 30-14 blowout win over the Tennessee Titans, a 34-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals, and a 24-14 loss to the Detroit Lions.

Their close wins involved blocking a Chicago Bears field goal last week and getting a walk-off field goals vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans the two weeks prior. Their 24-19 win against the Los Angeles Rams saw their defense hold late after LA got down inside the Packers 40.

Their penchant for winning close games has helped them hold the No. 6 seed in the NFC, two games ahead of San Francisco.

If the 49ers can figure out a way to get and hold a late lead against Green Bay on Sunday it would go a long way toward helping them get back on the path to a playoff berth. The problem is they’ve yet to show that ability this season, and failing to do so again Sunday could put them well outside the playoff picture with only six games to go.

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49ers to add familiar face at DE to practice squad per NFL insider

The 49ers are unsurprisingly adding some internal depth at DE.

The San Francisco 49ers are making a move to improve their defensive end depth.

NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero on Wednesday reported Jonathan Garvin is returning to San Francisco’s practice squad for the third time this season. He was released on Sept. 11 and re-signed to the practice squad in early October. He was released again in late October.

Now he’ll return to the 49ers’ 16-man practice roster. That group is full for San Francisco so there will be a corresponding move, but it’s unclear which player the 49ers will let go to make room for Garvin.

Adding internal depth at DE makes sense given San Francisco’s issues rushing the passer and a recent hip/oblique injury to DE Nick Bosa. Without Bosa the 49ers have leaned on Leonard Floyd, Yetur Gross-Matos, Sam Okuayinonu and Robert Beal. That group struggled late in the 49ers’ Week 11 loss to the Seattle Seahawks so the team may just be looking to add another body who can be added to the rotation if Bosa winds up missing time.

There’s no guarantee Bosa will be out for Week 12. Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday said there’s a chance the one-time Defensive Player of the Year will be able to suit up. If he can’t go, we may see Garvin up with the active roster for the first time this season.

Garvin has played in 38 games with one start across three seasons as a pro. He has 32 tackles and 1.5 sacks in the regular season. He posted three pressures and one quarterback hit in three preseason games for San Francisco this season.

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49ers found new way to lose in Week 11 vs. Seahawks

Good news: Special teams didn’t lose the 49ers a game on Sunday. Bad news: They have a new thing that did lose them the game.

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of the San Francisco 49ers 2024 season is that all five of their losses seem to come down to something different.

There’s not one discernible thing they have to fix, but rather a smattering of issues that vary each week in how much damage they inflict on the club’s chances to get a victory.

In a damaging Week 11 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, it appeared the offense was a major problem. That unit turned the ball over once and averaged only 4.9 yards per play in their least efficient outing of the year. They were also unable to hold onto the football for 3:56 at the end of the game, giving Seattle a chance to win.

Despite the offensive struggles, head coach Kyle Shanahan wasn’t necessarily displeased with the play from that unit in their latest loss. Instead, he pointed to penalties as the reason for their season-low output.

“Yeah, that was a huge thing. I thought that was one of the biggest problems for the offense on the day,” Shanahan said of the penalties. “And I actually thought we played a better game offensively than we did on that Thursday night game. We didn’t get, you know, on that Thursday night game we got the busted coverage on [WR] Deebo’s [Samuel] 70-yarder and we got those two explosive runs which really helped. But we played better football this game. We just didn’t at all with the penalties and you know, we had one 14-play drive where, I don’t know how many 14-play drives that I’ve been a part of that don’t end with points or a missed field goal or turnover. To go 14 plays and then punt it, we had eight plays inside the 50 after that turnover for the field goal having to overcome it a couple times and get them again. So, that was our biggest problem on the day I felt offensively.”

The 49ers had one drive just before the first half where they had a second-and-3 turn into a second-and-8 because of a false start. Two plays later on a third-and-1 they had a five-yard carry called back because of a hold, putting San Francisco into a third-and-10.

They overcame those penalties to get a first-and-10 at Seattle’s 34 after the two-minute warning. Another false start pushed them to a first-and-15, and then quarterback Brock Purdy took a sack that knocked them out of field goal range. Two incompletions later they punted. Instead of going ahead 10-6 or 14-6 before halftime, the 49ers led 7-6.

In the second half the 49ers defense came up with an interception that set the offense up at Seattle’s 27. They eventually got to first-and-10 at the Seahawks 16. An eight-yard scramble by Brock Purdy on that down was called back for a hold, giving the 49ers a first-and-20 at Seattle’s 26. Running back Christian McCaffrey immediately got the 49ers back inside the 15 with a 14-yard run, but that was negated by an illegal formation flag.

San Francisco went from first-and-10 at the Seattle 16 to first-and-25 at the Seattle 31. They settled for a field goal on that series and instead of leading 14-6, led 10-6 and allowed the next Seattle touchdown to give them a lead.

The good news is it wasn’t special teams that killed the 49ers this time. The bad news is we have a new thing to add to the list of reasons a team that was supposed to contend for a Super Bowl is fighting for its playoff life after 10 games.

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Where are the 49ers scheduled to pick in the 2025 NFL draft?

For those of you reading ahead, here’s where the 49ers stand in the NFL draft order:

Mid-November is probably too early to start earnestly diving into the NFL draft for the San Francisco 49ers.

Some teams are already eyeing April’s three-day selection event, and while the 49ers playoff chances are dwindling, they still have the talent to turn a corner and make a run at the postseason.

Until the 49ers turn that corner though, we have to operate like they’re not going to, thus leading us to take a quick peek at the 2025 NFL draft order.

Next year’s draft will be particularly important for a 49ers club that’s may be entering a transition stage where they need to supplement their roster with some top-end talent to fill some starting jobs and shore up depth on a top-heavy roster.

The problem for the 49ers goes back to what we just talked about up top — they’re not bad enough to worry about the draft yet which means they’re in the purgatory that sits between a playoff berth and a premium draft pick.

Here’s where things stand in the NFL draft order (non-playoff team edition) after 11 weeks according to Tankathon:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9)
2. Tennessee Titans (2-8)
3. Cleveland Browns (2-8)
4. New York Giants (2-8)
5. Las Vegas Raiders (2-8)
6. New England Patriots (3-8)
7. New York Jets (3-8)
8. Carolina Panthers (3-7)
9. Dallas Cowboys (3-7)
10. New Orleans Saints (4-7)
11. Cincinnati Bengals (4-7)
12. Miami Dolphins (4-6)
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6)
14. Chicago Bears (4-6)
15. Indianapolis Colts (5-6)
16. Seattle Seahawks (5-5)
17. Los Angeles Rams (5-5)
18. San Francisco 49ers (5-5)

That’s right. The 49ers, who are last in the NFC West by way of tiebreaker, would also pick last out of the three 5-5 NFC West teams because of the strength of schedule tiebreaker.

Because the 49ers, Rams and Seahawks all have 5-5 records, the strength of schedule tiebreaker kicks in. The team with the lower strength of schedule gets the earlier draft pick. San Francisco’s opponents have a .549 winning percentage. Seattle’s is .531, and LA’s is .534.

It’s worth noting those numbers are based on season-long percentages. The 49ers have the lowest strength of schedule after 11 weeks.

Ideally the 49ers will turn their season around and find their way into the postseason. For now, we’ll continue keeping track of where they stand in the NFL draft order.

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