Tag: 49ers news

49ers free agency prediction: Former All-Pro walks for big contract

The 49ers have telegraphed their plans at safety.

The San Francisco 49ers have been telegraphing their plans in the back end of their secondary since the 2023 draft, and those plans don’t involve bringing back former All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga.

In the 2023 draft they weren’t slated to pick until late in Round 3, but they traded up to the No. 87 overall pick where they selected safety Ji’Ayir Brown. His versatile skill set made him an easy fit in the 49ers defense, and they needed to get younger at that position.

They affirmed their commitment to their plans in the 2024 draft when they used a fourth-round pick to select safety Malik Mustapha. That choice confirmed Hufanga’s time in San Francisco wouldn’t likely last beyond his rookie contract, which is up after the 2024 season.

Choosing to move on from Hufanga isn’t because he hasn’t had a strong four seasons with the 49ers. He was a quality special teams contributor as a rookie, then earned a First-Team All-Pro nod in 2022 in his first season as a starter on defense.

Injuries cut his 2023 season short and may cost him a majority of the 2024 campaign, but he’s still a quality player who will likely earn a contract in free agency north of what the 49ers can afford.

At some point the 49ers have to decide where they’re going to trim their roster financially, and the two safety spots are an easy choice given the other talent they’ve paid on the defensive side of the ball. That they used two draft picks at the position was confirmation they’d be going with rookie contracts at the two safety spots.

There’s always a chance Hufanga’s market is muted and he returns to the 49ers, which gives San Francisco a good problem on their depth chart. However, his penchant for generating turnovers and creating big plays for a defense should make him a valuable asset on the free agent market. If there’s even a handful of teams interested, his value will quickly sail above what the 49ers can realistically afford.

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New 49ers Week 11 practice report features more bad news than good

Woof … Thursday’s practice report isn’t great.

The San Francisco 49ers are teetering on the brink of potential disaster on the injury front as they prepare for their Week 11 showdown against the Seattle Seahawks.

Thursday’s practice participation report was even more crowded than Wednesday’s, and it featured more bad news than good.

The good news is that tight end George Kittle returned to action after missing Wednesday’s session. He was limited Thursday, as anticipated by head coach Kyle Shanahan who told reporters he wasn’t too worried about Kittle’s status for Sunday.

In some less-than-good news, left tackle Trent Williams was absent again with an ankle issue. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings also showed up as a limited participant with an ankle injury.

Williams was classified as a non-participant for rest Wednesday, but he also had an ankle injury listed. That ankle kept him out of another practice Thursday, putting his status for Sunday in doubt. If he can’t go, Jaylon Moore would be next in line to step in at left tackle. This will be worth monitoring closely.

Jennings wasn’t on the Wednesday report which makes his appearance Thursday even more concerning. It’s unclear the severity of the issue and when he sustained the injury. Shanahan will speak with reporters Friday and give a better idea of what the 49ers’ leading wide receiver is dealing with.

Defensive end Nick Bosa remained out of practice with a hip injury. He intimated to reporters Wednesday that he’d likely miss the entire week in hopes of getting ready to play Sunday. He’s also a question mark for Sunday in a key matchup with the Seahawks.

Here’s the full Thursday participation report:

Did not participate

DE Nick Bosa (hip)
DT Kevin Givens (groin)
LT Trent Williams (ankle)
P Mitch Wishnowsky (back)
CB Charvarius Ward (not injury related – personal matter)

Limited participation

TE George Kittle (hamstring)
WR Chris Conley (back)
C Jon Feliciano (knee)
WR Jauan Jennings (ankle)
RB Christian McCaffrey (Achilles)

Full participation

CB Renardo Green (toe)
DE Yetur Gross-Matos (knee)

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Reported numbers on Deommodore Lenoir contract are bargain for 49ers

These reported contract numbers for Deommodore Lenoir are wild. The 49ers got a steal.

Initial reports on a new contract for San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir made it clear the team got a good deal on their 25-year-old breakout star.

Additional numbers provided by Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports paint an even better picture for the 49ers in the deal.

Jones reported Lenoir’s five-year deal is worth $88.8 million. The original report said it was $92 million. That puts the average annual value at $17.76 million. Lenoir still lands as the No. 12 highest-paid CB in terms of average annual value.

The numbers that matter in NFL contracts are the guarantees, and Lenoir inked a deal for just $15.5 million guaranteed at signing according to Jones’s numbers. That’s a bargain for San Francisco. Denver Broncos Patrick Surtain II is in a tier above Lenoir, but his new deal landed him $40.7 million guaranteed at signing. Chicago Bears CB Jaylon Johnson got $43.8 million guaranteed at signing.

Jones also notes Lenoir’s contract includes $43.3 million guaranteed for injury.

Overall this deal won’t do much to impact the 49ers’ ability to fit a top-of-market contract for quarterback Brock Purdy in the offseason when he becomes eligible for an extension. It also helps San Francisco shore up its secondary with an ascending star at an extremely affordable price. If these are the final numbers, the 49ers got a steal.

Update

A further breakdown of the contract was published by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.

According to Florio, “only 17 percent of Lenoir’s deal is fully guaranteed at signing; that’s the smallest full-guaranteed portion for any cornerback making more than $2 million per year.”

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Why was Christian McCaffrey limited for 49ers in 1st Week 11 practice?

Christian McCaffrey was limited in Wednesday’s practice, but that’s no reason for alarm.

The San Francisco 49ers have a new weekly problem to solve now that running back Christian McCaffrey has returned from Achilles tendinitis.

While it’s certainly a positive that the reigning Offensive Player of the Year is back in their lineup, the club now has to navigate managing his injury. Part of that will likely be limited practice work and plenty of appearances for McCaffrey on the practice participation report as a result.

McCaffrey debuted Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and notched 13 carries to go along with six receptions on seven targets. He got through the game without issue, but showed up on Wednesday’s practice report as a limited participant.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan before Wednesday’s session said there was no setback for McCaffrey and that his limited practice was a product of how the 49ers are choosing to manage the injury.

It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if McCaffrey didn’t have a full participation in a full practice the rest of the year.

There doesn’t appear to be any inkling from the club or Shanahan that McCaffrey’s workload will diminish greatly this year. He averaged 21.2 touches per game last season and came out of the gate with his 19 in Week 10.

Shanahan didn’t seem bothered by the number of touches McCaffrey received in his debut, indicating he’ll likely continue being the workhorse back for San Francisco. Where they will shortcut his usage is in practice where full participation isn’t required for McCaffrey to be effective during the week.

This may all change if he has a setback at some point, but for now we can get used to seeing McCaffrey on the participation report as less than a full participant.

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George Kittle to miss practice, but injury update is good for 49ers

Good news on George Kittle.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday had some good news regarding tight end George Kittle.

Kittle injured his hamstring during the 49ers’ Week 10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Shanahan told reporters in a press conference before Wednesday’s practice that the All-Pro tight end wouldn’t take part in Wednesday’s session, but that the expectation was for him to return Thursday with a goal of playing Sunday.

Typically the 49ers’ offensive firepower is such that Kittle missing a game wouldn’t have been a huge deal. However, injuries to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and some struggles scoring touchdowns in the red zone have put outsized importance on Kittle as a pass catcher for San Francisco this year.

He’s the team’s leader in targets, receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. It’s worth noting given the red zone issues that all seven of Kittle’s TDs this season have come from inside the opponent’s 20.

There’s always a chance that a hamstring injury can flare up and cause a setback. However, the early positive prognosis from Shanahan is a good sign for his chances of suiting up in a huge game against the Seattle Seahawks. Shanahan is usually mum on injury optimism early in the week.

Kittle had a big game in the 49ers’ first game against Seattle in Week 6 this season. He hauled in five receptions for 58 yards and two touchdowns in that game.

The 49ers and Seahawks are slated to kick off for the second time this year Sunday at 1:05pm Pacific Time from Levi’s Stadium.

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49ers roster move isn’t good news for ailing specialist

The 49ers added a new punter to their practice squad while Mitch Wishnowsky deals with an injury.

The San Francisco 49ers might once again be dealing with a missing specialist.

Punter Mitch Wishnowsky has been dealing with a back injury that flared up during the team’s Week 10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday said the team would be evaluating treatment options, and left Wishnowsky’s status for Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks up in the air.

San Francisco’s practice squad tweak before Wednesday’s game wasn’t a good sign for Wishnowsky’s availability.

The 49ers on Tuesday announced the addition of punter Pat O’Donnell to their practice squad. They released veteran defensive tackle T.Y. McGill in a corresponding move to make room on their 16-man practice squad roster.

O’Donnell, 33, was a sixth-round pick of the Chicago Bears in the 2014 draft out of the University of Miami. He played in 145 games across nine years, including eight with the Bears, and one each with the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons. His stint with the Falcons last year was only on their practice squad.

He’s averaging 45.1 yards per punt across 616 kicks in his career.

Ideally the 49ers wouldn’t need to replace Wishnowsky, who also missed time in the preseason. However, this is something they’ve dealt with on the kicking side where kickers Jake Moody and Matt Wright both suffered injuries that caused them to miss time.

Given the team’s special teams struggles, having to replace reliable players on those units could be a significant issue moving forward.

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49ers make apparent strength stronger in Draft Wire mock

The 49ers get a fascinating CB prospect in this Draft Wire mock:

It looks like the San Francisco 49ers might be committing to a philosophical change in the way they build their defense.

That became apparent when the club used a second-round pick on cornerback Renardo Green in the 2024 draft, and then in the middle of the 2024 season extended fourth-year CB Deommodore Lenoir on a five-year contract. It was a different type of investment in cornerback than we’ve seen from a club that has typically prioritized its defensive line and pass rush.

A new first-round mock draft from our friends at Draft Wire illustrate how that potential change in team-building style could manifest in the 2025 draft.

Draft Wire has the 49ers committing further to their secondary and adding East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel.

Revel is listed at a massive 6-foot-3, 193 pounds. In 24 games with East Carolina he racked up 71 tackles, four tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks, three interceptions, and 16 pass breakups. He also blocked a pair of kicks during the 2023 campaign.

While he checks a lot of boxes as a prospect, including a physical playing style that should fit in well with San Francisco, he comes with a major injury red flag. Revel tore his ACL during a September practice, which puts his status for the start of the 2025 season in question, and raises questions about how well he’d play after recovering from that injury.

On the other hand, the 49ers may be in a spot where they can afford to take a talent sliding down the draft board because of an injury. With Green and Lenoir figuring to hold down two starting spots, the 49ers could ease Revel into action.

For 49ers fans the idea of taking a player coming off an ACL tear may be off-putting given some of the organization’s failures in that area during the early-to-mid 2010s, but Revel is a top-flight talent who could round out an excellent young group of cornerbacks.

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Deommodore Lenoir contract may signal philosophy shift for 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are building their defense a little differently than they have in the past.

The San Francisco 49ers may be changing the way they build their roster on the defensive side of the football.

They agreed to a five-year, $92 million contract extension with cornerback Deommodore Lenoir which was first reported Tuesday afternoon. It looked going into the season like the team’s various financial commitments may force them to let Lenoir walk in free agency. Veteran Charvarius Ward is playing the best football of his career and is also due to hit the free agent market following the 2024 campaign.

It wouldn’t have been a surprise had the 49ers opted to let Lenoir go. They’ve not prioritized the secondary during the John Lynch-Kyle Shanahan era, preferring instead to focus their resources on building out a strong pass rush.

Their defensive fronts have been disappointing the last couple of years, and in 2023 they were forced to make two mid-season trades to find pass rush help. Instead, their secondary shined during their run to the Super Bowl where they met a Kansas City Chiefs defense that was loaded with high-quality defensive backs.

It may be that the 49ers are undergoing a philosophical change on defense where they’re investing more in the secondary and perhaps trying to build out a deeper defensive front that has effective players alongside superstar defensive end Nick Bosa.

Replacing players like Dee Ford, DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead hasn’t been easy, and finding players of that caliber like they did in 2019 may not be something they’re capable of doing given their financial commitments and lack of high draft picks.

The Lenoir contract isn’t the only signal of a potential shift. The team also spent a second-round pick on Florida State CB Renardo Green in this year’s draft. It’s the earliest they’ve ever drafted a cornerback in the Lynch-Shanahan era, and Green has been terrific stepping into the nickel CB role as a rookie. While the 49ers added Leonard Floyd, Yetur Gross-Matos and Jordan Elliott in free agency, none of those players broke the bank. Even Maliek Collins was acquired with a seventh-round pick. The team prioritized depth on the defensive front while investing significant resources in the secondary in this year’s draft with Green and fourth-round pick Malik Mustapha. They also traded up for safety Ji’Ayir Brown in the third round of the 2023 draft where they didn’t pick until Round 3.

Perhaps this is just a function of the available talent and the 49ers will go back to their defensive line-first philosophy down the road, but for now the front-to-back defense we’ve come to know in San Francisco may become a back-to-front defense where the secondary is the star.

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49ers breakout star DB gets big-time contract extension

Deommodore Lenoir is locked into a new contract with the 49ers.

The San Francisco 49ers are locking up one of their top young defenders on a long-term contract.

According to Fox Sports’s Jordan Schultz, the 49ers and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir have agreed to a five-year deal worth up to $92 million. There are no details on the deal yet. The $18.4 million average annual value is the 12th-highest in the NFL among cornerbacks.

Lenoir, 25, has been one of the breakout stars of this season for San Francisco. He was due to hit free agency in the offseason, but instead he signed a deal mid-season to give himself some long-term security.

The 49ers selected Lenoir in the fifth-round of the 2021 draft. He got off to a rocky start in his first couple of seasons, but broke out in the 2022 playoffs where he snagged a pair of interceptions and didn’t allow a touchdown.

Last season was his best as a pro while bouncing between the slot and playing outside. In 2024 he’s backed up his strong 2023 campaign by being perhaps San Francisco’s best defensive back. He has two interceptions, six pass breakups, one forced fumble and a paltry 65.0 passer rating allowed when targeted according to Pro Football Focus. Lenoir has yet to allow a touchdown this season. He’s also been one of the 49ers’ best, most consistent run defenders.

It looked like the 49ers’ salary cap situation may force them to let Lenoir walk after the final year of his rookie contract was up, but now they’ve ensured he’ll be with them for at least the next few seasons.

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49ers re-sign one RB, release another in practice squad shuffle

A familiar RB is back with the 49ers.

The San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday announced a couple of corresponding roster moves before they begin their on-field preparations for Week 11 against the Seattle Seahawks.

Running back Patrick Taylor Jr. re-signed with the 49ers on their practice squad. To make room on the 16-man practice roster, the team released Ke’Shawn Vaughn.

Taylor spent the first nine weeks of the season with the 49ers, but was released Friday before their Week 10 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to make room for Christian McCaffrey when he returned from IR.

It isn’t a huge surprise to see Taylor back in the team’s facility. He was with the club throughout training camp and the preseason and was fine when called upon. He primarily contributed on special teams, but he did see 21 snaps on offense and posted 25 rushing yards on seven carries.

Taylor will provide internal depth for the 49ers behind McCaffrey, Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo on the 53-man roster.

Vaughn also spent significant time with the 49ers in the preseason, but he never broke through to carve out any kind of role. He was released ahead of final cuts and re-signed to the practice squad. Vaughn didn’t appear in a regular-season game.

The 49ers will open their Week 11 practices Wednesday.

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