Receiver Bryan Gilmore walked into the 49ers offices at 10:15 this morning and shortly thereafter got the bad news -- he had been cut.
"You know, I had my chance and I didn't capitalize on it last year," he said. "I had eight catches. And it's a business and you have to produce."
Also cut Saturday were rookie running back Thomas Clayton, defensive end Sam Rayburn, who was trying to make the transition from 4-3 defensive tackle to 3-4 defensive end, and tight end Zachary Hilton, who caught touchdown passes in each of the last two preseason games.
Meanwhile, rookie Joe Cohen emerged from the team headquarters on crutches and with a full-length cast on his right leg. He said he tore the ACL and MCL ligaments and sprained the PCL when he got caught in a pile Thursday in San Diego. Mike Nolan said both Cohen and rookie Jay Moore would be placed on injured reserve, thus ending their seasons. Moore suffered a high ankle sprain that included ligament and muscle damage, and Nolan said his rehabilitation would be "a minimum" of six to eight weeks.
The others cut Saturday were LB Colby Bockwoldt, S Vickiel Vaughn, T Harvey Dahl, T Damane Duckett, G Tavares Washington, S Darnell Bing, LB Mark Washington and TE Zach Herold.
Nolan said some of those players could be brought back and placed on the eight-man practice squad. he also said he was scanning the waiver wires for potential practice squad players who were cut today by other teams.
Cut List:
WR Bryan Gilmore -- Hard worker and a great guy. But he couldn't capitalize on the prominent role he had last season.
LB Colby Bockwoldt -- It didn't help that Jay Moore got hurt and will spend the season on IR. Moore was an outside linebacker, and Hannibal Navies -- not Bockwoldt -- has experience at the position.
TE Zach Hilton -- Good pass catcher but did not offer enough as a blocker.
S Vickiel Vaughn -- Rookie Dashon Goldson edged him out of the two-deep at safety. He also had a hard time staying healthy.
T Harvey Dahl -- A practice-squad guy last season, Dahl could wind up there this year, too.
T Damane Duckett -- Made a very nice transition to the offensive side of the ball this spring after playing defensive tackle all his life. A very good candidate for the practice squad.
OL Tavares Washington -- He got lost in the shuffle at a very deep guard position.
FB Zak Keasey -- Somewhat of a surprise because Keasey played very well this summer. Without Keasey, the 49ers have only one fullback, Moran Norris. Nolan said tight end Billy Bajema would serve as the back-up at fullback.
S Darnell Bing -- He looked good in the final preseason game. But the 49ers are full at safety.
LB Mark Washington -- One of the pleasant surprises of training camp. Washington has very good size and might stick around on the practice squad.
RB Thomas Clayton -- It's not a shock that he got cut. Still, Clayton played very well against the Chargers and actually led the league in rushing yards this preseason. Practice squad? Absolutely.
TE Zach Herold -- He has good size and decent hands. But there was no way he was going to beat out Bajema, Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker.
-- Matt Barrows
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