Tag: 49ers roster

New starting QB may actually help 49ers offense

Could Brandon Allen’s start be a blessing in disguise for the 49ers’ offense?

The San Francisco 49ers will face a steep uphill battle Sunday when they face the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

Injuries will leave quarterback Brock Purdy on the sideline with veteran signal caller Brandon Allen slated to start in his stead. While Allen’s start will make an already tough game more difficult for the 49ers, it could facilitate some offensive innovation from a group that was starting to get stagnant on that side of the ball.

San Francisco is coming off a loss to the Seattle Seahawks where they posted only 17 points, averaged 4.9 yards per play and churned out only three designed explosive plays.

Now they’ll start Allen in a pivotal road game. It’ll be his first start since Week 18 of the 2021 season and the 10th start of his career. He’s 2-7 as a starter with a 56.5 percent completion rate, 6.2 yards per attempt, nine touchdowns and six interceptions.

His job Sunday should come down to converting third downs and avoiding turnovers, which may push head coach Kyle Shanahan to try some things he hasn’t been doing with Purdy under center.

In Green Bay we could see the 49ers lean more heavily on their run game, and in particular utilize sets where running back Jordan Mason is on the field with RB Christian McCaffrey. Those two haven’t been on the field together this season with McCaffrey dominating the snap count.

That’s the other shift we may see. More run-focused offense could require more from Mason who posted 13 yards on his only two carries against the Seattle Seahawks. The 2022 undrafted RB proved himself to be a viable offensive weapon while McCaffrey was out, and the 49ers have all but abandoned him since the reigning Offensive Player of the Year returned.

McCaffrey is certainly a better all-around player than Mason, but Mason averaged better than 5.0 yards per carry as the 49ers’ starter and he’d be extremely useful in a situation where San Francisco needs to lean on its rushing attack.

Aside from the run game, Allen’s presence may also facilitate a return toward something close to normalcy in the passing attack. Allen isn’t as mobile as Purdy, so he may be more apt to hit some of the throws Purdy has turned down this year. Not that the 49ers will want him dropping back 40 times, but Allen should be capable of connecting on the easy throws Shanahan figures to dial up.

If the 49ers can get back to their roots as a creative, relentless running team who gets the passing game going out of play action, we may see them not only stay afloat with Allen under center, but we could see them flip an offensive switch that gets them back on track in time to make a late playoff push.

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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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49ers breakout offensive star quickly became an afterthought

Don’t expect Jordan Mason to be involved more in the offense any time soon.

The San Francisco 49ers appear to be falling into a pattern where they’re leaving good players on the sideline since running back Christian McCaffrey returned.

In McCaffrey’s absence, RB Jordan Mason posted 685 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns on 134 carries. Over that eight-game stretch he averaged 5.11 yards per rush, which is tied for the seventh-best mark in the NFL. He ran for more than 100 yards thrice, and the only time he ran for fewer than 58 yards was the Week 8 game vs. the Dallas Cowboys where he exited with an injury after only six carries.

Now that McCaffrey has returned, Mason has reverted to being an offensive afterthought. In the two games with McCaffrey in the lineup Mason has played only five snaps and received three carries for 18 yards.

It appeared through eight weeks that Mason had proven to be enough of a weapon that the 49ers could lean on him more once McCaffrey returned. Mason could not only spell McCaffrey to help manage his Achilles injury, but he could offer some explosive play potential with a different running style than the starter.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t appear to be planning on adding more to Mason’s workload any time soon.

“Yeah, I like all those guys playing,” Shanahan said. “But it depends on the situation, depends how many times you’re getting the ball, it depends on the drives, it depends if we’re going to put two backs out there. When you do two backs, then you’ve got to take either a big off or another receiver. But I’m not always thinking of how to get Christian off.”

There’s potential for Shanahan to operate with McCaffrey and Mason (or rookie fourth-round pick Isaac Guerendo) on the field together, and he acknowledged as much in Wednesday’s press conference. However, he didn’t sound eager to make that personnel grouping part of the offense.

Instead we’ll likely see more of what we saw a season ago. When McCaffrey is healthy, he’s going to be on the field and the 49ers are going to rely on him to be their go-to playmaker. That appears to be the case no matter what kind of wrinkle another RB on the sideline might be able to add to the offense.

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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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Will Christian McCaffrey play this week? Injury updates for 49ers RB

49ers running back Christian McCaffrey will have to manage his Achilles injury all year. Here are the latest updates.

Reigning Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey made his 2024 debut for the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10 after working through Achilles tendinitis.

The nature of that ailment means the 49ers will have to manage McCaffrey’s usage throughout the season, including limiting him in practice potentially for the rest of the year.

McCaffrey tallied 19 touches in the 49ers’ Week 10 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and didn’t have any setbacks during the game. Here’s where things stand going into Week 11:

Christian McCaffrey injury update

McCaffrey was limited in Wednesday and Thursday practices, but he was a full participant in Friday’s session and didn’t show up on the 49ers’ injury report. He should be a full go for the second consecutive week.

How much will Christian McCaffrey play?

It doesn’t appear the 49ers plan on limiting McCaffrey much in games. We may see him spelled for a handful of snaps here and there, but his touches should be back up where they were in Week 10 where he’s getting it 19-plus times. With a full game under his belt he may be even more effective against the Seattle Seahawks.

49ers RB depth chart

One of the advantages the 49ers have in managing McCaffrey’s ailment is that they have a pair of running backs behind him they can trust to snag some carries if the snap/touch counts get too high. Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo both filled in admirably while McCaffrey was out, but their opportunities figure to be limited when he’s healthy.

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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 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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Don’t expect 49ers to move on from Jake Moody despite nightmare game

Jake Moody isn’t going anywhere for the 49ers.

San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody didn’t have his best game as a pro Sunday in Tampa Bay.

In fact, despite making the game-winning kick on the final play of the game, Moody might have had his worst overall game as a pro.

Moody missed three kicks during the 49ers’ tumultuous 23-20 win over the Buccaneers in his first game back from a high ankle sprain he suffered in Week 5. Despite the rough outing, head coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t appear ready to move on from his kicker.

His answer when asked about Moody in a Monday conference call reflected his “you’re only as good as your last kick” sentiment from his postgame press conference Sunday.

“Not much different,” Shanahan said Monday. “He missed three kicks. I thought it wasn’t the easiest place to kick in. The wind was weird, especially the direction that he missed the stuff. It was different. But it was a few big kicks and came back and hit his first game winner on a walk off. So, thought he finished it well and we’ll move on to next week with it.”

Entering Sunday’s game, Moody had only one miss on the season – a 55-yard try late in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams. Last season he missed multiple kicks in a game only once, and that came in a Week 6 loss to the Cleveland Browns where one of his misses was a game-winning try.

The 49ers’ willingness to put Moody back out for another field goal try was a sign of the faith they have in their 2023 third-round pick. Ideally the 49ers offense will start converting more drives into touchdowns, but they’ll continue relying on Moody until they do.

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