Tag: 49ers rookies

49ers offense gets boost from unlikely source vs. Cowboys

Shoutout to Isaac Guerendo.

The San Francisco 49ers’ offense was stuck in a little bit of a rut Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys, but an unlikely hero helped them turn it around.

In the first half of a 30-24 win over the Cowboys, the 49ers scored only six points. Their run game in particular struggled with running back Jordan Mason churning out only 18 yards on six carries in the first quarter and change.

A shoulder injury wound up forcing Mason into the locker room before halftime, opening the door for rookie fourth-round pick Isaac Guerendo. He entered the game with just 23 carries on the season, including only one in Week 7 against the Chiefs.

Sunday wasn’t the first time Guerendo got an opportunity for extended playing time, but it was certainly his best outing. He rushed for 85 yards on 14 carries and scored his first-career touchdown. He also got to 85 yards with a long run of just 19.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the game that the improvement for Guerendo has been clear.

“I think he’s learned from each run he’s gotten,” Shanahan said. “There are a couple runs earlier in the year that he did alright on, but we grade him pretty hard, everybody pretty hard. And he had a couple, like four-yard runs we thought he could have got seven yards on. We go pretty hard on him. And then you watch how he takes that to practice and everything we’ve really kind of been pushing him with, he’s been real coachable, he’s not a sensitive guy, he’s real detailed and he’s very poised for a rookie. Things aren’t too big for him and didn’t get a lot of preseason, but once he got healthy there and throughout this year, I feel he’s gotten better each week.”

Guerendo also played a big role in the 49ers’ Week 6 win over the Seattle Seahawks, but he struggled to find running room in that game before a 76-yard run late in the fourth quarter helped the 49ers seal the victory. He finished the game with 10 carries for 99 yards.

He was more consistent Sunday night with runs of 19 and 15 yards on his first two touches. He flashed his speed and his power, and in general looked more patient in waiting for running lanes to develop.

Shanahan also said Guerendo was running well enough that they didn’t even try to put Mason back in the game after he came out for the second half with his helmet on — a sign he was ready to go.

Guerendo rewarded the 49ers’ faith in him by going for 47 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries in the second half. He also contributed as a pass catcher, hauling in three of his four targets for 17 yards.

The talent has always been apparent with Guerendo, he just wasn’t catching on the way we’ve seen other RBs do in Shanahan’s scheme. Sunday night was his coming out party and it came in a game where the 49ers desperately needed their run game to get rolling to help them turn things around after a rough first half.

With Christian McCaffrey set to return soon, Guerendo may not get another opportunity as a lead RB this season, but he took his opportunity Sunday night and played well enough to be a major cog in a huge 49ers victory.

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49ers roster moves: WR Ricky Pearsall officially activated

Some 49ers roster moves!

The San Francisco 49ers officially activated first-round pick Ricky Pearsall off the Non-Football Injury list as part of a flurry of roster moves ahead of their Week 7 bout with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Pearsall has been on the NFI since suffering a gunshot wound to the chest during an attempted robbery in San Francisco the week before the regular season began.

The No. 31 overall pick in this year’s draft had his 21-day practice window opened Monday before the team’s bonus practice. They didn’t need more than a week of practice to decide to activate the rookie receiver. He was a full participant Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and was officially listed as questionable on the injury report.

His activation makes it appear he’ll suit up for the first time as a pro Sunday.

In a corresponding move, kicker Matthew Wright was placed on Injured Reserve after suffering shoulder and back injuries while trying to make a tackle on a kickoff in Week 6. He was with the club because kicker Jake Moody was hurt the week prior, also while making a tackle on a kickoff.

With no kicker on the active roster, former Packers kicker Anders Carlson was elevated from the practice squad after signing early in the week. Carlson, 26, connected on 27-of-33 field goals last season with Green Bay in his only NFL season.

Undrafted rookie safety Jaylen Mahoney was also elevated from the practice squad to provide depth at safety and special teams contributions.

The 49ers and Chiefs kick off at 1:25pm Pacific Time from Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.

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49ers injury update: Practice window opened for rookie WR

Great news: WR Ricky Pearsall is back for the 49ers.

The San Francisco 49ers on Monday announced rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall’s practice window has officially been opened.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the 49ers’ Week 6 win over the Seahawks that Pearsall’s practice window would be opened ahead of Week 7.

The 49ers now have 21 days to decide whether to activate Pearsall off IR. If he’s not activated within that 21-day window his rookie season will be over.

San Francisco has a bonus practice Monday after getting the mini-bye following their Thursday night matchup with the Seahawks. Pearsall figures to participate in that session, although his level of activity won’t be clear since the team isn’t obligated to release a participation report like they will after Wednesday’s normal practice.

Monday will mark Pearsall’s first practice since being shot through the chest during an attempted robbery in San Francisco in early September.

It’s also unclear just how much Pearsall will play this season. He missed a large chunk of training camp with hamstring and shoulder injuries. Now he’s missed the first six weeks of the regular season.

San Francisco may utilize his entire 21-day window to ensure he’s as up to speed as possible before coming off IR.

The 49ers selected Pearsall at No. 31 overall in this year’s draft out of the University of Florida. He has yet to make his pro debut after missing all of the preseason and the first portion of the regular season.

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49ers rookie has officially jumped up depth chart after earning Week 4 start

The 49ers had a new starter on Sunday, an indicator that their depth chart has changed.

The San Francisco 49ers’ blowout win over the New England Patriots in Week 4 began with an interesting wrinkle.

Strong safety Talanoa Hufanga was ruled out of the contest with an ankle injury he suffered in Thursday’s practice. That opened the door for a new starter to jump into that role.

For the first two weeks it was veteran George Odum in the starting spot while Hufanga finished his recovery from an ACL tear he suffered last season. This week was different.

With Hufanga nursing an ankle issue, the 49ers turned to rookie fourth-round pick Malik Mustapha as their starter.

“Yeah, we thought he was ready for it,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said in a press conference after the game. “When him and (Odum) G.O. were going, we started rotating him a little, I think the second week. He’s been doing awesome in practice. We started to mix him in there in game two. I think (Hufanga) Huf came back in game three, so we didn’t need to do it. But when we found out Huf couldn’t play today, we knew he was next man up.”

Mustapha rotated in and actually out-snapped Odum in Week 2, but he didn’t see much action in Week 3.

In Week 4 he was the strong safety, an indicator that he’s eclipsed Odum on the depth chart and has firmly grasped the No. 3 safety spot where the club will turn to him if there’s an injury. They may also start sprinkling in some three-safety looks where Mustapha is on the field with Hufanga and Ji’Ayir Brown.

For now he’s steadily climbing the depth chart. Barring a major injury he’ll be the No. 3 safety the rest of this year, but his rise bodes well for his chances to snag a starting job in 2025.

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2 49ers rookies may see more playing time after Week 2 debuts

Could these 49ers rookies see more playing time after their brief Week 2 outings?

A pair of San Francisco 49ers rookies made their debuts on the defensive side of the ball in Week 2.

Cornerback Renardo Green and safety Malik Mustapha both saw action on defense against the Minnesota Vikings after only playing on special teams in the season opener vs. the New York Jets.

Green played four snaps as a fourth cornerback. Mustapha rotated in at strong safety with veteran George Odum and played 31 snaps.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Wednesday that both players could see similar roles against the Rams depending on how their game plan shakes out.

“Possibly. They have to be ready, always, in case of an injury,” Shanahan said. “I could say they don’t have any plans to play or to go in and then one play happens and they’re in the rest of the game. It was nice to mix Malik in last week. I thought he did well with his reps. Renardo came in on a couple of dime packages and he did well with his reps too. So possibly with the scheme, whatever that is this week, we can keep building off that. But if not, they’re always one play away from playing the rest of the game.”

Green is still behind Isaac Yiadom on the 49ers’ depth chart, and it doesn’t sound like he’s going to pass him despite a tough game from Yiadom in Minnesota. If the rookie second-round pick does play it’ll likely be in the dime package like the one he played in against the Vikings.

Mustapha is a more interesting case because starting strong safety Talanoa Hufanga is expected to return in Week 3. However, Hufanga’s workload is still a question mark. If he ends up not playing a full complement of snaps, we could see Mustapha rotate in as the backup.

Regardless of their roles in 2024, both Green and Mustapha figure to play big parts in the 49ers’ defense in 2025 and beyond.

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4 49ers rookies change jersey numbers after final cuts

Hot of the presses! New jersey numbers are out for 49ers rookies:

The San Francisco 49ers had a quartet of rookies change their jersey numbers once the dust settled from final cuts.

Cornerback Renardo Green, safety Malik Mustapha, wide receiver Jacob Cowing and running back Isaac Guerendo all made number changes ahead of the team’s Tuesday bonus practice according to the Athletic’s Matt Barrows.

Green, who rocked No. 31 during the preseason, changed his number to 0. That jersey was previously worn by CB Samuel Womack, who was waived at final cuts. The Indianapolis Colts claimed him off waivers.

That jersey number has only ever been worn by Womack in 49ers history. He began wearing it last season when the NFL changed its jersey number rules.

Mustapha wore No. 43 in the preseason, a traditional safety number. He will now wear No. 6 in the regular season. He joins Deommodore Lenoir and Charvarius Ward as players wearing single digits in the 49ers secondary. Safeties Talanoa Hufanga and Ji’Ayir Brown wear 29 and 27, respectively.

Cowing was another player who wore a traditional number for his position in camp. His preseason jersey number was 83. He’ll now wear No. 19, which was most recently worn by WR Deebo Samuel. Samuel changed to No. 1 this offseason.

During camp, veteran WR Trent Taylor rocked the No. 19 jersey. He was released and then re-signed to the practice squad. His new numbers is 81 since he didn’t retain his jersey number after camp because of his release.

Perhaps the most notable change is Guerendo, who wore No. 49 in the preseason. That is an objectively atrocious number for a running back. He’s now wearing No. 31 – still not great, but better than 49.

Green and RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn were both No. 31 in camp. Vaughn was waived and re-signed to the practice squad. Green, of course, relinquished 31 to take No. 0.

We may see plenty of these jerseys on the field in the season opener on Sept. 9. Green could be the team’s starting slot corner, while Guerendo and Cowing could both start as returners on special teams.

The rest of the rookie class will apparently retain their numbers. First-round pick Ricky Pearsall is No. 14, third-round pick Dominick Puni is No. 77, and seventh-round pick Tatum Bethune will stay with No. 48.

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WATCH: 49ers rookie has huge kick return in preseason debut

This is one way to stake a claim to a roster spot.

How about San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Isaac Guerendo?

The fourth-round pick suffered a hamstring injury on Day 1 of training camp that kept him out until the final week of the preseason. He finally got into a game when the 49ers had their final exhibition game Friday night at Allegiant Stadium against the Las Vegas Raiders.

It was clear early on why the 49ers selected Guerendo. He looked comfortable on an early kick return and put together a couple of nice runs on offense where he showed the same smooth running style that made him successful in college.

The Raiders had a punt return for a touchdown that cut the 49ers lead to 10-7, and then Guerendo went to work on the ensuing kickoff with a 93-yard return.

That’s the kind of thing a player can do to help himself make a roster after getting virtually no practice or game action in before the regular season.

Guerendo got to the sideline, then made a couple of great cuts before running through contact and getting into the open field. His speed was also evident before he ran out of gas and got chased down.

Coaches will want to see him switch the football to his outside arm when he gets to the sideline, but that’s a small nitpick compared to the big play he generated. Guerendo was on the outside looking in at a roster spot entering Friday, but plays like this one will help his case.

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49ers rookie CB ascending quickly thanks to newfound versatility

The 49ers finally made a sizable draft investment at CB and it looks like it could pay off right away.

The San Francisco 49ers might have something in their secondary.

After years of prioritizing the defensive line and not investing heavily in cornerback during the draft, the 49ers finally spent a second-round pick on Florida State cornerback Renardo Green in 2024. They selected him No. 64 overall — marking the earliest they’d ever taken a CB in the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch era.

With an opening in the starting lineup, there was hope that Green may be able to step in right away as a starter. He primarily played outside corner in college, but the team quickly moved him into the slot which is an entirely new position.

That might have pushed Green into a situation where he was left out of the starting lineup as he learned a new position, but defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen told reporters in a press conference after Wednesday’s practice that the early move inside has only benefitted the rookie CB.

“Both spots. That was kind of the plan,” Sorensen said. “I wanted to give him the harder stuff early, because he hadn’t played in there. It’s always easier, I think, to move back out to what you’re used to, then to try something really new. Then if we did it later, it would have been like, oh my gosh, blow your mind. Where when we gave him the hard stuff early, then he handled it while also playing corner. So now it’s like, let’s get you focused on playing outside and see if it clears your mind. Let you just play. Now he just kind of has to know both. Just like [DB Deommodore Lenoir] Demo does. We like to challenge our guys and see what they can handle. And when you see that they can handle it, it’s awesome. It gives you that flexibility. And he’s just a competitive kid that’s smart, that wants to do it right.”

It appears the main competition for the third CB spot is between Green and veteran CB Isaac Yiadom. The latter only plays outside and has primarily been a special teams contributor throughout his career, but looked to be on track to win the third CB job before an injury sidelined him for a few weeks in camp.

That opened the door for Green who has flashed in practice and during the 49ers’ pair of preseason games. He took full advantage of the opportunities.

Even if the club decides to go with Yiadom in the starting lineup right away, Green has done everything to point his arrow in the right direction going into his first regular season. Perhaps he contributes right away, but even if he doesn’t, he’s on track to be a factor in the secondary for the foreseeable future. That would be a really nice return on the team’s first big draft investment at CB.

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It’s officially time to worry about 49ers’ No. 1 draft pick

The San Francisco 49ers haven’t gotten a chance to get a good look at their first-round pick yet.

Avoiding injuries has been a significant problem for the San Francisco 49ers in this year’s training camp.

They haven’t had anything major pop up yet, but there are enough smaller injuries to enough players that it’s become a concern with the regular season less than a month away.

The injuries are less crucial for players like linebacker Fred Warner or running back Christian McCaffrey. Having them on the field Week 1 is more paramount than anything, so there’s no need to hit a panic button when they miss some preseason time.

It is much greater concern for rookies like wide receiver Ricky Pearsall.

Pearsall has been banged up throughout his tenure with the 49ers. He missed the first part of training camp with a hamstring injury. Now he’s out with a shoulder injury that pushed him out of practice time before and after the preseason opener. He also didn’t suit up for that preseason game.

He was out of Wednesday’s session again per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. The clock is ticking on the No. 31 overall pick in this year’s draft to make a meaningful impact in camp, and perhaps in his rookie season.

This isn’t to say Pearsall is a bust or in an impossible spot to earn playing time in Year 1. He’s a talented player the team obviously likes a lot. His route running, athleticism and toughness at the catch point both bode well for his future as an NFL receiver.

The Kyle Shanahan system is just notoriously difficult for first-year wide receivers. Missing training camp means missing valuable practice reps that will help Pearsall get up to speed to earn snaps in Year 1. As his missed practices mount, his opportunities to play his way onto the field dwindle.

He was already facing an uphill climb for snaps behind Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings, but there figured to be some opportunities for the first-round pick to get on the field.

Now injuries have hit the position while Aiyuk is holding in, which would have opened the door for a ton of reps for Pearsall. Instead he’s among the players watching from the sideline. Those mental reps aren’t meaningless, but they pale in comparison to getting on the field and playing against other NFL players.

Once the season starts it gets harder to find reps in practice for players further down the depth chart because practices are so heavily focused on the upcoming game. The space for improvement is dominated by the necessity to win games. Training camp and the offseason program is where the acclimation is supposed to happen.

Pearsall may wind up being fine where he gets some reps leading up to the preseason finale and plays in that game. He could even return in time to suit up for the second week of the preseason. That would be extremely helpful in his quest to find playing time as a rookie.

However, the early track record doesn’t bode well for Pearsall who has been more observer than participant in his first camp. The sooner he flips that, the sooner he’ll have a chance to make an impact as a rookie. If he continues missing time, it may be another year before we see the first-round pick get a real opportunity to contribute.

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49ers trying to play catch-up with previously-injured rookie WR

One of the #49ers rookie WRs hasn’t gotten much practice time, so the team tried making up for it Monday.

Wide receiver Jacob Cowing’s first training camp hasn’t been ideal.

The rookie fourth-round pick suffered a hamstring injury before pads came on, and he didn’t return until just before the 49ers’ preseason opener against the Titans.

Cowing was always going to face an uphill climb to find snaps as a rookie, and missing a couple weeks to open camp doesn’t make that ascension any easier.

On Monday the 49ers tried playing some catchup with Cowing in an unpadded practice.

Since so many of the 49ers’ reserves played in their preseason opener on Saturday, the team used only its first-team offense in Monday’s practice per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.

While Cowing isn’t expected to be a starter, he didn’t suit up for Saturday’s game making him available for the relatively light session. It appears the team was aiming to make up for lost time and get their rookie receiver some much-needed reps. Cowing was lining up often, and had a handful of plays designed for him per Wagoner:

Niners clearly tried to work Cowing, who has been out for awhile, into the offense with some opportunities. They moved him around a lot and attempted to get him the ball in space a couple of times. He did have a drop on a catchable pass from Purdy, however.

It isn’t a huge surprise to see Cowing get off to a slow start. He’s missed a ton of time and he’s still trying to acclimate to a new offense at the highest level of the sport.

The good news is Cowing wasn’t expected to have a major role in the offense just yet. He has the rest of the preseason to get ramped up, and then he’ll have chances during the year to continue growing into his role with an eye toward the next couple of seasons where he could see significant time in the 49ers’ offense.

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