Tag: Danny Gray

49ers roster moves: 2 elevated from practice squad, WR Danny Gray not activated

The #49ers made some roster moves ahead of Week. 17.

The 49ers on Saturday announced a trio of roster moves ahead of their Week 17 matchup against the Commanders in Washington.

Safety Erik Harris and wide receiver Tay Martin were both elevated from the practice squad for Sunday’s game. WR Danny Gray, who had his 21-day practice window opened to return from IR, was not activated and ruled out. He remains on the injured list.

Harris will provide depth at safety after Ji’Ayir Brown was ruled out with a knee injury. The veteran safety can also contribute on special teams, which he’s already done twice for San Francisco this season as a practice squad elevation.

Martin gives San Francisco help at receiver while Jauan Jennings remains out with a concussion. The second-year undrafted free agent primarily played special teams in two appearances up from the practice squad last season. That’s where he figures to contribute Sunday as well.

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49ers open practice window for WR Danny Gray

The #49ers opened the practice window for speedy WR Danny Gray.

The 49ers on Wednesday opened the practice window for wide receiver Danny Gray.

Gray has been on IR with a shoulder injury since before the season started. He made the initial roster and was eligible to return after Week 4, but the team kept him on IR until the lead up to Week 17.

It’s unclear what the team’s plan is for their second-year WR. They could be opening his practice window to give him an opportunity to get on the field before the season ends, but if he’s not activated in the next three weeks he’ll go on IR for good.

They may also be giving him a chance to play his way onto the field. San Francisco is a little banged up at receiver and they may be looking to see if Gray offers a better option as a kick/punt returner than rookie WR Ronnie Bell. Bell has struggled with those duties since taking over for Ray-Ray McCloud, who’s eligible to come off IR ahead of Week 18.

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49ers WR Danny Gray is healthy, so why isn’t he active?

What the heck is going on with Danny Gray?

There was some hope that 49ers wide receiver Danny Gray would find his stride in his second NFL season. An injury in training camp that landed him on IR after he made the initial 53-man roster derailed the start of his season, but he’s healthy now per head coach Kyle Shanahan which begs the question: why isn’t Gray active?

Shanahan was asked in early November about the team’s overall speed and gave an answer that did not include Gray. That wasn’t a particularly good sign for the receiver the 49ers selected in the third-round of the 2022 draft in part because of his game-changing speed.

At that point, however, it wasn’t clear where Gray was health-wise while recovering from an SC joint sprain he sustained in his shoulder late in the preseason.

General manager John Lynch indicated all the players on IR were healthy enough to go. He didn’t explicitly say anything about Gary though. It was certainly not encouraging when the team opened practice windows for three players on IR and PUP before Week 10 and left Gray on IR.

Shanahan was asked more directly Friday about Gray’s availability and made it clear that there’s no role for the second-year WR on the current 53-man roster.

“Danny’s good to go. He is getting right there,” Shanahan said. “He’s in that same situation. We’ll see how it goes with these numbers, but I think he’s right around now able to come back and help us. So we’ll see when we need him with the numbers.”

This isn’t a good sign for Gray’s progress in his second NFL training camp. That the team isn’t in a hurry to bring him back says that the roles for him on special teams are few, and even fewer on offense. Gray was supposed to challenge for a third WR job this year and instead can’t find his way onto the 53-man in Week 11.

Perhaps there’s an injury in the receiving corps or elsewhere that opens a spot for Gray. Even if he makes the roster though it’s tough to imagine there’ll be much of a role for him given what Shanahan said.

It’s still just Year 2 for Gray so there’ll be more opportunities for him, but the sophomore season breakout doesn’t sound imminent.

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49ers 2022 NFL draft class mostly struggling halfway through 2nd season

An update on the #49ers’ 2022 draft class, which isn’t trending the right direction 1.5 seasons in:

The 49ers are in a good place from a roster perspective and they don’t necessarily need young players to contribute right away. However, if they’re going to extend their Super Bowl window beyond the current core of stars they’ll need contributions from their draft classes.

Through 1.5 seasons the 2022 draft class doesn’t appear to be on track to contribute much down the road.

Quarterback Brock Purdy, the final pick last year, is the obvious headliner, but beyond that the 49ers’ contributions from second-year players have been minimal with not many signs that any of them are trending upward.

Let’s run through San Francisco’s nine-player class for a quick update:

Update on 49ers injured reserve list after Week 6

Here’s what the #49ers injured reserve list looks like with a third of the season down:

The 49ers through six weeks have avoided any major injuries, leaving their injured reserve list much less active than it’s been in recent years.

Cornerback Samuel Womack is the only player who’s gone on IR since the season began., and with six weeks down San Francisco has a couple players eligible to come off of injured lists who still haven’t been activated.

Here’s a quick rundown of what the 49ers’ injured reserve and physically unable to perform lists look like heading into Week 7:

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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49ers injury update: WR Danny Gray unlikely ready for Week 1 with shoulder sprain

The #49ers are unlikely to have WR Danny Gray for the season opener because of a shoulder injury.

The 49ers avoided a major injury with wide receiver Danny Gray. Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Sunday in a conference call said Gray has an SC joint sprain in his shoulder and the timeline for return is still unclear.

Shanahan said that while it’s good news Gray avoided any kind of break, the ailment will likely keep him out to start the regular season.

Immediately after the game Shanahan said the club’s x-ray’s were inconclusive and they were hoping there wasn’t a break in Gray’s shoulder or collarbone.

Shanahan also said defensive lineman Kerry Hyder has a shoulder stinger that will need to be taken care of during the week. Running back Jeremy McNichols will also be out a few weeks with a hamstring injury, which could spell the end of his time with the 49ers heading into the final preseason game.

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Injury Update: WR Danny Gray suffers shoulder injury in preseason vs. Broncos

The 49ers sophomore pass catcher suffered a shoulder injury in the preseason against the Broncos.

With Ray-Ray McCloud already out with an injury, another member of the San Francisco 49ers’ receiving core could be on the mend. Following the 49ers’ 21-20 win over the Denver Broncos in week two of the preseason, Kyle Shanahan provided injury updates for the team.

Shanahan announced second-year pass catcher Danny Gray suffered an injury against the Broncos. According to Shanahan, Gray possibly has a broken collarbone injury. The wideout will still undergo testing after his first set of X-rays were inconclusive.

Via @MaioccoNBCS on Twitter:

Gray left the game early after returning the opening kickoff for the 49ers. With both McCloud and Gray potentially out, the 49ers will have an opening in the kickoff return game with the start of the regular season quickly approaching.

Gray played 13 games his rookie season, pulling in only one catch for 10 yards on seven targets. Gray was drafted in the third round out of SMU in the 2022 NFL draft.

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

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7 players we’re excited to watch in 49ers preseason opener

Here’s a look at seven players that should be exciting to watch in the 49ers’ preseason opener against the Raiders on Sunday.

It’s not Christmas, but it’s close. On Sunday, The 49ers will open the preseason in Sin City against the Las Vegas Raiders.

It’s not a mirage in the desert, the 49ers will officially be on the field in uniform on Sunday for the first time since their loss in the NFC Championship to the Philadelphia Eagles.

It’s likely most of the starters and familiar faces for the 49ers will be on the sideline watching on Sunday. But, what’s exciting about the preseason is getting a look at some of the new faces for the first time in red and gold.

Players with chatter around their name — good and bad — will get the chance to make an impression on the fan base and coaching staff under the bright lights for the first time.

Heading into Sunday’s contest, here’s a look at seven players Niners Wire is excited to watch against the Raiders in the preseason.