Andrew Lauderdale

49ers Cut Joshua Garnett, Reach Max

The 49ers got down to the 53-man roster maximum by releasing 24 players in total on Saturday, including former first-round pick Joshua Garnett.

The Niners used the No. 28 pick to select Garnett in 2016, but they never saw much from him at the pro level. The Stanford product started in eleven of his 15 games as a rookie, but even then, his performance was underwhelming – Garnett racked up penalties and didn’t excel in run blocking or pass blocking. Garnett then missed all of 2017 after undergoing knee surgery and only saw action as a reserve in seven games last year. At a rate of $10.35MM, it made little sense to keep Garnett for 2020, especially since the option would have been guaranteed for injury.

This year, Garnett is said to be healthy, but that ensured little in terms of performance, so he’s out. The Niners will save $1.7MM against $1.2MM in dead money.

Jordan Matthews was said to have had a strong camp, but the 27-year-old wide receiver wasn’t able to stick in SF. He inked a one-year, $1.8MM deal with the Niners in March, but he’ll exit with just his $300K signing bonus in hand.

Aside from Garnett and Matthews, here’s the rest of the Niners’ cuts:

Released

DB Antone Exum Jr.

LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles

DL Jamell Garcia-Williams

DL Kevin Givens

S Marcell Harris

TE Daniel Helm

WR Malik Henry

LB Elijah Lee

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.

Waived/Injured

DB Adrian Colbert

OL Andrew Lauderdale

More Minor NFL Transactions: 8/21/19

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

  • Claimed off waivers: S Montrel Meander
  • Placed on injured reserve: WR D.J. Montgomery

Denver Broncos

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jaguars Sign T Ben Ijalana

Doug Marrone revealed Saturday the Jaguars’ tackle situation may not be optimal until after the regular season begins. A day later, the Jags added an experienced blocker.

Former Jets tackle Ben Ijalana agreed to a Jaguars deal Sunday. The team also released running back Benny Cunningham with an injury designation. Cunningham, who signed with the Jaguars in April, is dealing with a hamstring injury.

Left tackle starter Cam Robinson, who is in the final stages of recovering from the ACL tear he suffered last September, may not be ready in time for Week 1. The Jags signed former Bengals first-round pick Cedric Ogbuehi and Buccaneers UDFA Leonard Wester this offseason. They drafted Jawaan Taylor in Round 2; the former Florida Gator is expected to be Jacksonville’s opening day right tackle, with the other two vying to be the Robinson stopgap on the other side. Ijalana, 30, may now be in that mix while also representing a depth option.

The Jets used Ijalana in 30 games from 2014-17. His most notable work came as New York’s starting left tackle for 13 games in 2016. He wound up on Gang Green’s IR list in August of 2018. Ijalana’s NFL action has come in spurts, with the former Colts second-round pick not playing in the 2013, ’15 or ’18 regular seasons.

Cunningham has played six NFL seasons, for the Rams and Bears. He will exit a Jaguars running back room headed by Leonard Fournette but also housing Alfred Blue, Thomas Rawls, Roc Thomas and fifth-round pick Ryquell Armstead.

The Jags also signed rookie offensive lineman Ka’Jahn Armstrong and tight end Ethan Wolf. They waived fellow blockers Jordan Agasiva and Andrew Lauderdale, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com notes.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/6/19

On one end of the Thursday transactions: Carson Wentz. On the other: today’s minor moves.

Arizona Cardinals

  • Waived: T Andrew Lauderdale

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: T Ka’John Armstrong

Detroit Lions

Washington Redskins

Cardinals Re-Sign DL Rodney Gunter

Rodney Gunter will be in line to remain a part of the Cardinals’ defensive line rotation, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweeting Gunter agreed to a deal to stay in Arizona.

The Packers hosted Gunter on a visit last week, but he will stick around with the Cardinals instead. Kliff Kingsbury will be the third Cardinals coach Gunter has played for since being drafted in the 2015 fourth round.

Arizona has been active in free agency, but beyond the Larry Fitzgerald pact, the Cards mostly have signed outside free agents, defensive line addition Darius Philon among them. Gunter will return as a cog in a 3-4 defense, a role he played for three years under Bruce Arians.

After spending his first three seasons in a reserve role, he appeared in all 16 games last year, making 10 starts and turning in career highs in sacks (4.5) and tackles (44). Gunter finished out with a respectable 70.1 overall score from Pro Football Focus, placing him 59th out of 112 qualified interior defenders.

The Cardinals also signed two recent AAF offensive lineman in Andrew Lauderdale and Jeremiah Poutasi, a 2015 third-round pick. Lauderdale played for the Arizona Hotshots, while Poutasi — a former Titan and Jaguar — suited up for the Salt Lake City Stallions. Poutasi has not played in a regular-season NFL game since 2016. Lauderdale has yet to play in a regular-season contest.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/6/18

Today’s practice squad updates:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: OL Mason Gentry, WR Daniel Williams

Indianapolis Colts

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

NFL Workout Updates: 10/24/18

Today’s workout updates, all courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter):

Arizona Cardinals

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Minnesota Vikings

  • T Andrew Lauderdale

Oakland Raiders

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

49ers Cut 21 Players, Reach 53-Man Max

The 49ers have reached the 53-man roster maximum after releasing 21 players on Saturday afternoon. Here’s the full rundown:

The following players have been released:

In addition to those cuts, the Niners also have a few extra spots on their initial 53-man roster thanks to suspensions for wide receiver Victor Bolden and linebacker Reuben Foster. They’ll also be without defensive lineman Kentavius Street as he sits on the NFI list.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/2/18

Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2018 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

  • WR Jake Kumerow
  • WR Colby Pearson
  • TE Robert Tonyan
  • LS Zach Triner
  • WR DeAngelo Yancey

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