Tag: 49ers updates

49ers fill open roster spot with CB, elevate 2 others before Week 13

Roster moves for the 49ers:

The San Francisco 49ers made a handful of roster moves ahead of their Week 13 showdown with the Buffalo Bills.

One day after waiving wide receiver Ronnie Bell, the 49ers filled his roster spot by promoting cornerback Nick McCloud from the practice squad. He’ll now hold a place on the 53-man roster after signing with the practice squad in November.

McCloud has played in two games for the 49ers this season, contributing 19 special teams snaps and no defensive snaps. He figures to continue being a special teams ace for San Francisco, but he also provides depth at CB with Deommodore Lenoir ruled out and Renardo Green listed as questionable.

The 49ers also elevated linebacker Jalen Graham and offensive lineman Sebastian Gutierrez to the roster for Sunday’s game. Graham will provide depth at LB and play on special teams. Gutierrez, who was re-signed to the practice squad Friday, will be a depth piece on the OL after injuries ruled out Trent Williams and Aaron Banks.

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Kyle Shanahan discusses 49ers’ sense of urgency with playoff hopes dwindling

Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers know that they have very little margin for error moving forward.

After an embarrassing 38-10 loss at the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers are running out of room for future errors.

The loss dropped San Francisco to 5-6 and saw the 49ers lose back-to-back games for the second time this season.

Fortunately for San Francisco’s sake, no team has truly grabbed hold of and seized command of the wide-open NFC West. Even with its current record, San Francisco is level with the Los Angeles Rams and sits just one game back of the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals who are each 6-5 after Week 12 action.

Looking at the overall NFC Playoff picture, though, a division crown could very well be the only pathway forward into the postseason for the 49ers.

San Francisco saw firsthand on Sunday the strength of the NFC North. The Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Packers appear poised to swallow up three playoff bids and the NFC East looks like a two-bid division with the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.

In his meeting with the media on Monday, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed the sense of urgency that he and the 49ers know they need to have moving forward.

“Yeah, without a doubt. I think everyone knows. You’ve just got to look at it for a couple minutes to realize where we’re at. It’s nice when you’re one game out of first in your own division. So that does say a lot, especially being able to play two of those teams left of our six games.

“But you also know, you look at the whole NFC picture and if you don’t win the division, it’s 10-7 not guaranteed to get in as a Wild Card by any means this year. So I think everyone understands completely outside and inside what the situation is,” Shanahan said.

As Shanahan also discussed, it’s why the 49ers’ consecutive losses versus the Seattle Seahawks and at the Green Bay Packers the past two weeks sting so much.

“That’s why that Seattle game was so tough of a loss and that’s why last night was even worse. We know what we got ahead of us. We know exactly what that playoff situation is. That is what it is,” Shanahan said.

Now that it’s dug itself a hole, San Francisco truly can’t think much beyond the task at hand.

“But really all that matters is this week. When you do need to go on a run and put a lot of wins to even think of that, then you better make sure you’re only thinking of one thing and that’s Buffalo.

“And so, we’ve had to take care of a lot of stuff today. I’m hoping that guys will take care of their bodies stuff here over the day and a half they’re away from us. We’ll come back Wednesday fully understanding the situation we’re in and coming back ready to fight because that’s all we can do right now is just fight our butts off. And I’ll be very surprised that not every guy in this building when I see them Wednesday isn’t ready for that exact mindset that we’re going to need to pull off what we feel we can,” Shanahan said.

If San Francisco can win at Buffalo (9-2) this week, that will go a long way toward restoring the belief that this team can make a push during the season’s stretch run.

After Buffalo, the 49ers close with games versus Chicago, versus the Los Angeles Rams, at Miami, versus Detroit and at Arizona.

The current NFC Playoff picture looks like this:

1. Detroit Lions (10-1)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (9-2)
3. Seattle Seahawks (6-5)
4. Atlanta Falcons (6-5)
5. Minnesota Vikings (9-2)
6. Green Bay Packers (8-3)
7. Washington Commanders (7-5)

Arizona is just outside the playoff picture in eighth place, while San Francisco is in a logjam with fellow 5-6 squads Tampa Bay and Los Angeles.

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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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Is George Kittle playing this week? Injury updates for 49ers TE

George Kittle’s foot sprain could be a problem for the 49ers on Sunday.

The San Francisco 49ers injury issues don’t stop at wide receiver.

With Brandon Aiyuk out and Deebo Samuel dealing with pneumonia, tight end George Kittle figured to be a significant piece of San Francisco’s offensive attack Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys. With Aiyuk and Samuel out for most of Week 7, Kittle racked up team-highs in targets (seven), receptions (six) and receiving yards (92). Unfortunately for the 49ers, he also sustained a foot sprain that has his status in question for Week 8.

George Kittle injury update

Kittle’s foot sprain kept him out of practice Wednesday. He was limited Thursday and Friday and will officially be questionable against the Cowboys. That he was able to participate in the last two days of practice bodes well for his chances. Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday said he was hoping the injury wouldn’t keep Kittle out of Sunday’s game, but he didn’t improve enough during the week to be listed without a designation.

San Francisco not elevating undrafted rookie TE Mason Pline from the practice squad could be a sign the team feels good about Kittle’s status.

How long will George Kittle be out?

It doesn’t appear the foot sprain is anything major given that Kittle was back on the field for two days of practice ahead of Week 8. If he can’t go Sunday, he’ll have the 49ers’ Week 9 Bye to recover before the team travels to Tampa Bay in Week 10. It stands to reason he’ll be back for that Week 10 game at the latest if he doesn’t deal with any setbacks.

San Francisco 49ers TE depth chart

The 49ers are not particularly strong at tight end, which adds some urgency to Kittle’s injury situation.

Eric Saubert
Jake Tonges
Brayden Willis

Saubert filled in against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3 when Kittle was out, but he’s more of a blocker than a pass catcher. Tonges has only played 25 offensive snaps this season, and Willis has only been active for one game and played four offensive snaps.

Pline is the only internal depth option and he’s yet to play in an NFL game.

Christian McCaffrey update: Practice window may open during Bye week

Christian McCaffrey’s practice window may open soon!

The San Francisco 49ers appear to be inching closer toward a return for star running back Christian McCaffrey.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday intimated the team was hoping to get the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year back shortly after their Week 9 Bye.

When asked Wednesday about McCaffrey, Shanahan said he’s hopeful the 21-day practice window will open for him during the team’s Bye week.

Since McCaffrey is on IR with his Achilles tendinitis, he can’t take part in any practices with the team. He is allowed to do rehab and solo on-field work. It would make sense that the team wants to maximize his ramp up with on-field team work.

By opening his window during the Bye, they’ll be able to have him for any workouts they do during their week off. Even if there’s no Bye week work, he’ll be able to take part in the Monday bonus practice after the Bye, and then in a full week of practices leading up to the team’s Week 10 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

That would give him at least four practices before suiting up in a game, which may be enough for a player with McCaffrey’s experience.

One advantage the 49ers have in this situation is that third-year RB Jordan Mason has been a star with McCaffrey out. That’ll allow San Francisco to ease McCaffrey into work without overdoing it in games.

Managing his Achilles tendinitis is going to be a major task for the 49ers the rest of the way, and how successful they are in doing that may determine whether they can make another playoff run this season.

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49ers injury news: Jordan Mason, Deebo Samuel status for Week 7 vs. Chiefs

49ers injury report for Week 7 is out:

The San Francisco 49ers will be a little banged up going into their Week 7 bout with the Kansas City Chiefs, but two of their injured stars will be good to go.

Wide receiver Deebo Samuel and running back Jordan Mason were both off the injury report after getting limited practices in to start Week 7. They were both full participants Friday and good to go after suffering injuries in Week 6. Samuel hurt his wrist and Mason hurt his shoulder. Both players wore non-contact jerseys during practice per reporters on site.

The team also officially ruled out wide receiver Jauan Jennings on Friday’s injury report because of a hip injury he suffered in the team’s Week 6 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Kickers Jake Moody and Matthew Wright are also out.

Moody is dealing with a high ankle sprain he sustained back in Week 5 while trying to make a tackle on a kick return. Wright hurt his shoulder the same way. Anders Carlson will be up from the practice squad to handle the kicking duties, although that move hasn’t been made official yet. Wright is set to go on IR.

With Jennings out it could open the door for rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall to see some time on offense. Pearsall is listed as questionable and could be activated off IR for the first time all season. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said the team anticipates activating Pearsall.

He was shot through the chest the weekend before the regular season began and got back on the field Monday when his practice window was opened. Pearsall missed a ton of time in training camp and the preseason because of hamstring and shoulder injuries, so it’s unclear how much of the offense he has down. He could also see time as a punt returner.

Here’s the full injury report:

Out

WR Jauan Jennings (hip)
K Jake Moody (ankle)
K Matthew Wright (shoulder, back)

No real surprises here. All three didn’t practice at all during the week.

Limited participation

DL Kevin Givens (groin)
CB Darrell Luter (pelvis)
WR Ricky Pearsall (chest)

No DL Maliek Collins is a big deal here. He was out to start the week, but a full participant Friday. Givens showed up as a non-participant Thursday after not being on the Wednesday practice report. He was back to limited action Friday.

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49ers practice squad raided by Giants after bad injury news for OL

The 49ers lost some internal OL depth.

The New York Giants are raiding the San Francisco 49ers practice squad for offensive line help after news came down that starting left tackle Andrew Thomas would miss the rest of the year with a foot injury.

According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, Giants head coach Brian Daboll told reporters the team is signing veteran OL Chris Hubbard off the 49ers’ practice squad.

Hubbard spent training camp and the preseason with the 49ers on the recommendation of former 49ers offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill, who was teammates with Hubbard last year in Tennessee.

While there appeared to be some chance Hubbard would compete for the starting right tackle job after holding down that spot for the Titans in 2023, the veteran OL never made a real push for that job.

He wound up getting cut and returning to the practice squad in mid-September as internal OL depth for the 49ers. His exit will leave San Francisco short on experience on their practice squad.

Without Hubbard, Isaac Alarcon and undrafted rookie Drake Nugent are the only two internal depth options for San Francisco on the offensive front. Neither player has played a snap in the NFL.

With an open practice squad spot the 49ers could opt to add another offensive lineman. Chances are they’ll wait until after Week 7 to see what their injury situation looks like to make another move. They may also wait until their Week 9 bye to do anything major when they can have time off to assess where their roster stands.

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Live tweet updates from Chargers vs. 49ers

Get the absolute latest updates from the Chargers and 49ers’ preseason exhibition.

Kickoff is nearly moments away, as the Bolts will host the 49ers for the second preseason matchup of 2021. You can find all the information you need to know here.

Get the latest updates from the game with our live tweets below: