49ers notebook: Former first-round receiver works out, Tartt says he played through pain
The 49ers are kicking the tires on a former first-round draft pick at wide receiver who could also help in the return game.
San Francisco on Wednesday worked out Tavon Austin, the former No. 8 pick in the 2013 draft, to potentially add depth at a position of need, a league source confirmed to The Sacramento Bee. He’s played with the Rams in St. Louis and Los Angeles, and spent the last two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.
Austin, 30, would presumably take the spot vacated by veteran Travis Benjamin, who opted out of the 2020 season last week amid COVID-19 concerns. NFL Network first reported the news Wednesday morning saying the 49ers brought Austin in with “hopes to sign him.”
“(He’s) somebody who can stretch the field, very elusive,” said safety Jaquiski Tartt, who has played against Austin a handful times. “I feel like he’s still got it and he could help out team a lot offensively and on special teams.”
The 49ers lack experience at receiver, and perhaps more urgently, in the return game with Richie James Jr. sidelined with an arm injury suffered during an offseason workout. James has been San Francisco’s primary return man for the past two seasons and remains on the active/non-football injury list along with top wideout, Deebo Samuel, who is recovering from a Jones fracture in his foot.
Austin has 185 career punt returns and has averaged nearly 8.0 yards per clip. He has three punt return touchdowns, his last one coming during the 2015 season. He’s been used sparingly on offense recently, recording just 34 catches for 364 yards and three touchdowns over the last three seasons.
Before bringing in Austin, the 49ers would have likely called on Trent Taylor, Dante Pettis or recent first-round draft pick Brandon Aiyuk to handle punts and kicks. Taylor hasn’t assumed that role since 2017 and Pettis averaged just 3.0 yards on nine returns as a rookie in 2018, which included hurting his knee on a punt return against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Aiyuk, meanwhile, might be in line for too prominent a role on offense to be considered for the punt returning job and won’t be able to get any live reps before Week 1 because the preseason is canceled.
Tartt played through pain in the playoffs
Tartt, the 49ers’ starting strong safety, admitted Wednesday during a video conference call he dealt with considerable pain when he returned to action during last season’s playoffs after breaking a rib in the Dec. 1 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
“To be honest, I don’t even know how I was out there,” Tartt said. “I knew my team needed me, so I made sure I was able to play and be ready. It’s part of football, being injured.”
Tartt, 28, has missed 19 games over the past three seasons due to myriad injuries, including shoulder stingers, a broken forearm and last year’s rib fracture. He’s entering the final year of two-year, $13 million contract extension during the 2018 draft.
Tartt was also asked about the rumors that circulated linking the 49ers to former New York Jets star Jamal Adams, who was traded to the Seattle Seahawks for a package that included two first-round picks. Adams, of course, plays the same position as Tartt.
“It’s quarantine. The media needs some kind of attention,” Tartt said. “So I don’t really too much worry about all that.”
▪ Chris Foerster was promoted to a full-time position of assistant offensive line coach after he served as an offensive consultant the last two seasons, a source confirmed to The Bee. Foerster had two previous stints with the 49ers, 2008-09 and 2015.
Foerster famously was fired from the Miami Dolphins in 2017 after a video surfaced of him snorting a white powdery substance he later admitted was cocaine. He has reportedly been sober since the incident. Jennifer Lee Chan was first to report of Foerster’s promotion.
▪ The NFL Players Association on Wednesday announced that daily coronavirus testing would be extended through Sept. 5. The initial agreement between the NFLPA and the league was to have daily testing during the first two weeks of players being back at team headquarters.
The 49ers currently have no players on the COVID-19 list. Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, said Wednesday there has been a 0.46 percent positive test rate among the 19,000 tests administered.
▪ San Francisco on Wednesday added depth to the offensive line by signing tackle William Sweet, a former undrafted free agent of the Arizona Cardinals. Sweet played at North Carolina, where he allowed one sack in 386 pass blocking snaps as a junior in 2018, according to Pro Football Focus.
Sweet would presumably compete for a backup tackle job in light of Shon Coleman’s decision to opt out of the season last week.
This story was originally published August 12, 2020 at 2:55 PM.
