Tag: Austin Bryant

Five Former Clemson Players Looking for Super Bowl Win

Five former Tigers look to earn Super Bowl rings today.

Dabo Swinney and his coaching staff over the years have recruited and developed some excellent players, with five looking to earn Super Bowl rings today.

Super Bowl LVIII kicks off tonight at 6:30 p.m., with the San Francisco 49ers looking to dethrone the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. It should be a fantastic game, as both teams are stacked with talent.

The five Tigers looking for rings are Cornell Powell and Justyn Ross for the Kansas City Chiefs and Austin Bryant, Clelin Ferrell, and Ray-Ray McCloud for the 49ers. McCloud has been the most impactful for his team this season, with 428 combined return yards and 12 catches for 135 yards.

Clelin Ferrell had 28 tackles with 3.5 sacks this season for the 49ers before injuries ended his season, while Austin Bryant didn’t get much run in the defensive line rotation. Former star wide receiver Justyn Ross had six catches for 53 yards this season.

Former Tiger signed to the San Francisco 49ers practice squad

A former Clemson standout Austin Bryant signs with the 49ers to join their practice squad.

After getting cut by the San Francisco 49ers earlier in the season, a former Tiger is back with the team.

Bryant was a fourth-round pick of the Detroit Lions in the 2019 NFL Draft, spending time from 2019-2022 with the Lions. In his career, Bryant has appeared in 35 games, recording 66 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hits, and a pass breakup. His 4.5 sacks all came in the 2021 season with the Lions.

He was most recently with the Minnesota Vikings practice squad, with the 49ers adding the edge rusher for some more depth as they prepare for their first playoff game of the season. He played 36 defensive snaps in two games with the 49ers earlier in the season.

49ers add DE depth to practice squad, release RB

The #49ers added some DE depth to their practice squad on Tuesday.

The 49ers on Tuesday announced a change to their practice squad.

Defensive end Austin Bryant is back with the club. Running back Jeremy McNichols was released to make room for the veteran DE.

Bryant was with the 49ers earlier this season and saw action in Weeks 1 and 5, with one tackle in the Week 5 win over the Cowboys. He joined the Vikings practice squad, but got released on January 15. This move gives the 49ers internal DE depth while Clelin Ferrell deals with a knee injury that’s expected to keep him out a couple weeks.

McNichols saw time in three games after joining the 49ers’ practice squad in late September. In those three games he played 20 special teams snaps.

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Former Tiger Austin Bryant signs with the Minnesota Vikings

Austin Bryant is heading to Minnesota!

Former Clemson defensive end Austin Bryant has another opportunity in the NFL, signing with the Minnesota Vikings practice squad.

Now an outside linebacker, Bryant was released by the San Francisco 49ers last week after playing 36 defensive snaps in two games. Those appearances came in Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys.

Bryant was a fourth-round pick of the Detroit Lions in the 2019 NFL Draft, spending time from 2019-2022 with the Lions. In his career, Bryant has appeared in 35 games, recording 66 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hits, and a pass breakup. His 4.5 sacks all came in the 2021 season with the Lions.

Vikings make 4 roster moves on Tuesday

After the injury to Dean Lowry on Sunday night, the Minnesota Vikings made four roster moves on Tuesday to fortify the roster

Due to the injury to defensive end Dean Lowry on Sunday night against the Denver Broncos, the Minnesota Vikings made some roster moves on Tuesday afternoon to fortify the roster.

On Monday afternoon, they lost outside linebacker Benton Whitley to the New York Giants, who signed him to their active roster.

Let’s take a look at the four roster moves made by the Vikings on Tuesday.

49ers add familiar face to practice squad

The #49ers made a small change on their practice squad.

The 49ers on Wednesday announced a small tweak to their practice squad.

They signed undrafted rookie defensive lineman Spencer Waege to their practice squad roster and released defensive end Austin Bryant.

Waege was signed by San Francisco after going undrafted this year and spent the offseason with the team before getting waived in late August. He’ll get an opportunity to develop as a versatile defensive lineman.

Bryant played two games for the 49ers on their active roster this season. He played in Weeks 1 and 5 and notched one tackle in 36 defensive snaps.

With additional depth at defensive end following the addition of Chase Young, San Francisco’s need for a veteran like Bryant on the practice squad evaporated. Instead they’ll roll with a younger player Waege who had a couple nice moments in camp and the preseason.

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49ers roster moves: 2 DL re-signed after DE Robert Beal, WR Danny Gray placed on IR

The #49ers made some roster moves to bolster their defensive line:

The 49ers on Wednesday made a couple of expected roster moves official. They placed wide receiver Danny Gray and rookie defensive end Robert Beal on injured reserve, and filled their vacant roster spots with defensive linemen Austin Bryant and Kerry Hyder.

Bryant and Hyder were both given their outright releases at final roster cuts so they weren’t subject to waivers. The expectation upon their release was that they’d re-join the team on the 53-man roster.

Both DLs provide depth at their respective positions with Bryant adding some much-needed help on the edge while Hyder gives the team a versatile role player who fits on the interior and on the edge.

For Beal and Gray, both are eligible to return this season since they made the initial 53-man roster before going on IR. Beal is working through a hamstring injury, but he could conceivably return to give the team more pass rush depth at some point. Gray has a shoulder injury – and his return would give the receiving corps a much-needed speed threat.

Players on IR have to be there a minimum of four weeks before the club can designate them to return.

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49ers WR Danny Gray (shoulder) to start season on IR

The sophomore pass catcher will start the season on the injured reserve after suffering a shoulder injury.

After the deadline to cut down rosters to 53 players on Tuesday, the San Francisco 49ers are tasked with more business like finalizing the practice squad and adding players to the injured reserve.

After suffering a shoulder injury in the preseason, Danny Gray’s season will begin on the injured reserve according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. With Gray hitting the IR, the 49ers will have an open roster spot to add either veteran defenders Austin Bryant or Kerry Hyder to the active 53-man roster, per Barrows.

Via @mattbarrows on Twitter:

With both Gray and Ray-Ray McCloud dealing with injuries, the 49ers depth at wide receiver will be thin to start the season. Outside of Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings, Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers will need to lean on rookie Ronnie Bell. Veterans Willie Snead IV and Chris Conley could be available via the 49ers practice squad.

In his rookie season, Gray recorded one catch for 10 yards on seven targets over 85 snaps with the 49ers. The 49ers drafted Gray in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft out of SMU.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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3 new absences for 49ers on Day 3 of training camp

There were 3 new absences from Day 3 of #49ers training camp.

There were three new absences for the 49ers on Friday when they took the field for their third day of camp. Cornerback Charvarius Ward, linebacker Oren Burks and defensive end Austin Bryant were all out of practice according to Matt Barrows of the Athletic.

No reason for the absences was given, although it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if the team is either giving rest days or taking extra precautions with potential injuries this early in camp.

With a day off Saturday, we’ll have to wait until Sunday to see if there are any additional updates.

Barrows also noted left tackle Trent Williams didn’t take part in individual drills, but held down the LT spot during the 11-on-11 portion. The team was very cautious with Williams last year, so it would make sense if they did the same with the 35-year-old again this year.

That trio was out along with defensive end Nick Bosa and cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. Bosa is still working on a long-term contract extension. Luter is working his way back from a bone bruise he sustained late in OTAs.

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Early look at 49ers DE depth with Nick Bosa out

Wednesday gave us some insight into the uncertain #49ers’ DE situation.

The 49ers are navigating the first part of training camp without star defensive end Nick Bosa. Bosa’s absence due to ongoing negotiations for a long-term contract extension forced San Francisco on Wednesday to dig into their defensive end depth chart. Wednesday’s practice gave some insight into what the team has happening at an important position along the defensive line.

Drake Jackson occupied one of the starting spots, which he’s expected to do throughout camp. The 2022 second-round pick had a disappointing end to his rookie year where was a healthy scratch for five of the last six games including all three playoff contests. Now he’s in better shape though and hoping to rebound from a rough first NFL season.

On the opposite side of Jackson with the starting unit were free agent signees Austin Bryant and Clelin Ferrell, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.

Bryant and Ferrell are both interesting additions for a 49ers club that’s made a habit of squeezing untapped production from veteran defensive linemen. In an ideal world for San Francisco, both players would be rotational pieces off the bench.

However, with a question mark hovering above Jackson, it’s not out of the question that one of that pair winds up starting and playing a significant role.

It’ll be worth watching how they divvy up reps once Bosa returns, and whether another DE like rookie Robert Beal Jr. or veteran Darryl Johnson get into the mix at all for regular rotation snaps.

Based on Wednesday though the three on track for significant roles are Jackson, Ferrell and Bryant. If that trio can find ways to be productive, the 49ers defensive line should quickly become the deepest and best in the NFL.

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