Lucas Gravelle

49ers LS Kyle Nelson Suspended 10 Games

Kyle Nelson‘s season is over. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the 49ers long snapper has been suspended 10 games. The team announced that Nelson was suspended for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. The 10-game van would seemingly indicate that this is the veteran’s second violation.

“I have been made aware by the NFL that I tested positive for a banned substance, and as a result will be suspended,” Nelson said in a statement. “I have been taking the same supplements for my entire time with the 49ers, while undergoing often simultaneous testing by the NFL with no issues. I do not deviate from my nutrition routine, and I would never knowingly take a banned substance. I am currently having the supplements tested, and I hope to uncover the cause of the positive test. When the product is identified I fully intend to seek legal action against the manufacturer to protect against this happening to other players in the future.”

The 32-year-old has spent the past four-plus seasons in San Francisco, appearing in every single game for the organization. The suspension could actually spell the end of the veteran’s tenure with the 49ers, as Nelson is set to become a free agent this offseason.

Since he’ll be forced to sit out the first six games of the 2019 campaign, it’s unlikely the 49ers will carry two players at the position for more than a month. In fact, it’s unlikely Nelson will be able to snag a new gig with any team before the start of the regular season. However, the long snapper will be eligible to participate in all offseason and preseason practices/games.

Considering Nelson’s reliability, it was a bit odd to see the 49ers audition a number of long snappers last week. That grouping was headlined by veteran Jon Condo, and it also included Tanner Carew, Lucas Gravelle, Colin Holba, and Taybor Pepper (via Matt Maiocco NBC Sports Bay Area on Twitter). The workouts now make a lot more sense, as the team will need to add a long snapper for the final stretch of the season.

NFL Workout Updates: 11/27/18

Here’s the latest from the workout circuit, all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer, unless otherwise specified.

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Oakland Raiders

San Francisco 49ers

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/11/18

Today’s practice squad updates:

Buffalo Bills

  • Released: OL Gerhard de Beer

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

  • Signed: LS Lucas Gravelle
  • Released: DL Cameron Mavlveaux

Oakland Raiders

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

Dolphins Cut Roster To 53

The Miami Dolphins are the latest team to cut their roster all the way down to the required 53 players. Here are their latest moves:

Waived:

Waived/Injured

Terminated vested veteran

Overall, not too many surprises. It looks like the Dolphins will be keeping three quarterbacks, with both Brock Osweiler and David Fales making the team.

Dolphins Add 13 UDFAs

With several teams yet to hold their rookie minicamps, more undrafted free agent classes are being finalized. Here is the latest one, coming out of Miami:

Davis earned All-American acclaim for his 2017 season — five interceptions and 20 passes defensed — and set the Aggies’ school record with 48 passes defensed. In addition to the two Florida Atlantic-honed talents, the Dolphins brought in two players from Division II’s Mountain East Conference in Mathieu and Redmon.

Joseph and Gravelle figure to be competition for seventh-round rookie kicker Jason Sanders and longtime long snapper John Denney, respectively. Denney has been Miami’s specialty snapper for 13 seasons. Joseph has more experience kicking in higher-stakes games than Sanders, with the UDFA being a four-year kicker for the Owls. Sanders was New Mexico’s kicker for two seasons, so this could be a fairly even competition at its outset. Joseph finished as Florida Atlantic’s all-time scoring leader.