49ers finalize 53-man roster. John Lynch outlines difficult decisions
The 49ers trimmed their roster from 90 to 53 players over the weekend by making a few notable decisions.
First, the team placed running back Jerick McKinnon on season-ending injured reserve, making 2019 the second consecutive season he’ll miss due to a knee injury.
Additionally, San Francisco kept seven receivers while releasing veteran Jordan Matthews, and parted with 2016 first-round draft choice Joshua Garnett, who was beaten out for a reserve spot along the offensive line by Daniel Brunskill, a 2017 undrafted free agent who spent the last two seasons on the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad.
Otherwise, there weren’t many surprising decisions made by general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan as they look to build a playoff contender in 2019. They went 10-22 during the first two seasons running the franchise.
Lynch said in a conference call Saturday the team had to cut “three or four” players that earned spots on the roster. There simply wasn’t enough space to keep them around.
“I suppose that’s a good sign because we’ve been improved to where we have decisions like that because that hasn’t always been the case,” Lynch said. “That’s difficult to look a young man in the eye and say, ‘Yeah, you earned it but we don’t have a spot for you.’”
One of the most scrutinized positions the last month was wide receiver, where the 49ers appeared to have eight NFL-caliber players competing for five or six spots. The team wound up keeping seven largely due to injuries to slot options Trent Taylor (Jones fracture) and third-round pick Jalen Hurd (back tightness), who are expected to miss time early in the regular season.
With Matthews out, San Francisco’s receivers will be Dante Pettis, second-round pick Deebo Samuel, Marquise Goodwin, Taylor, Hurd, Kendrick Bourne and preseason standout Richie James Jr., who may also be the team’s top return man.
Matthews entered the weekend as a favorite to replace Taylor and Hurd in the slot, but the team decided to let the 2014 second-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles go. Lynch described it as one of the club’s toughest decisions.
“Jordan Matthews, nothing but a true professional, kind of a victim of circumstance,” Lynch said. “The draft aligned such that it did that we went out and got two receivers and that made it an uphill battle for Jordan.”
The 49ers kept three quarterbacks and did not trade Nick Mullens or C.J. Beathard. Lynch said Shanahan will inform those two on Monday which one will be Jimmy Garoppolo’s backup (Mullens is the favorite after outplaying Beathard last season).
Other notable cuts: running back Jeff Wilson Jr., strong safety Marcell Harris, linebacker Elijah Lee and defensive back Antone Exum Jr. Veteran tackle Sam Young was released Friday leaving sixth-round pick Justin Skule as the favorite to backup starters Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey.
Perhaps the most unexpected decisions came at tight end and safety. The 49ers decided to keep four tight ends, George Kittle, Levine Toilolo, sixth-round pick Kaden Smith and Ross Dwelley, and just three safeties, Jimmie Ward, Jaquiski Tartt and Tarvarius Moore.
Lynch said the versatility of the team’s defensive backs, namely D.J. Reed and Moore, allowed them to go light at safety because both players could play safety and cornerback. Lynch indicated it’s possible the 49ers make an addition at safety after placing defensive lineman Kentavius Street on injured reserve on Sunday to open a roster spot.
When asked about McKinnon, Lynched revealed the running back needs another surgery on his injured right knee. McKinnon, almost a year to the day, tore his ACL and had three setbacks over the summer. The first came before training camp which landed him on the physically unable to perform list. His knee flared up after being inserted into practice and he underwent platelet-rich plasma injections.
He returned to practice last week, felt pain and was shut down again. McKinnon in 2018 signed a four-year, $30 million contract with $11.7 million in guarantees, according to Overthecap.com, and will have gone two full seasons without appearing in a game.
There was a chance McKinnon could have made the team and went on injured reserve, allowing him to return Week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals. But another surgery would make that impossible.
“Being ready in eight weeks wasn’t going to be an option,” Lynch said. “So that decision was made for us, we’re hopeful for Jerick that this (procedure) is successful. We believe it will be.”
McKinnon has two years remaining on his deal. He’s slated to count for $8.8 million and $9.2 million against the salary cap in 2020 and 2021, respectively, though there’s a good chance San Francisco tries to restructure.
Roster at a glance
* Denotes rookie
Quarterback (3): Jimmy Garoppolo, Nick Mullens, C.J. Beathard
Running back (4): Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida, Raheem Mostert, Kyle Juszczyk (fullback)
Receiver (7): Dante Pettis, Deebo Samuel*, Marquise Goodwin, Trent Taylor, Jalen Hurd*, Kendrick Bourne, Richie James Jr.
Tight end (4): George Kittle, Levine Toilolo, Ross Dwelley, Kaden Smith*
Offensive line (8): Joe Staley, Mike McGlinchey, Laken Tomlinson, Weston Richburg, Mike Person, Justin Skule*, Daniel Brunskill, Ben Garland
Linebacker (5): Fred Warner, Kwon Alexander, Dre Greenlaw, Azeez Al-Shaair, Mark Nzeocha
Defensive line (10): DeForest Buckner, Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, Arik Armstead, Solomon Thomas, D.J. Jones, Ronald Blair, Sheldon Day, Jullian Taylor, Kentavius Street (IR candidate)
Cornerback (6): Richard Sherman, Ahkello Witherspoon, K’Waun Williams, Jason Verrett, D.J. Reed Jr., Emmanuel Moseley
Safety (3): Jimmie Ward, Jaquiski Tartt, Tarvarius Moore
Specialist (3): Robbie Gould (K), Mitch Wishnowsky (P), Colin Holba (LS)
Saturday’s cuts: DB Antone Exum Jr., LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, DL Jamell Garcia-Williams, G Joshua Garnett, DL Kevin Givens, S Marcell Harris, TE Daniel Helm, WR Malik Henry, LB Elijah Lee, WR Jordan Matthews, LB David Mayo, DL Damontre Moore, LB LaRoy Reynolds, G Ross Reynolds, S Tyree Robinson, QB Wilton Speight, WR Chris Thompson, DL Jordan Thompson, OL Najee Toran, DL Jeremiah Valoaga, RB Austin Walter, RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
49ers notes
▪ Safety Adrian Colbert was waived/injured after suffering a hamstring injury. Offensive lineman Andrew Lauderdale was also waived/injured due to an undisclosed injury. Receiver Nick Williams, signed this week for the preseason finale, was placed on the injured reserve list.
▪ Tight end Garrett Celek was placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform list following back surgery in the spring. He’s eligible to return Week 7.
▪ Long snapper Kyle Nelson was placed on the reserve/suspended list. He has six games remaining on his 10-game suspension for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances.
This story was originally published August 31, 2019 at 3:22 PM.
