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Daniel Kilgore

NFC Notes: Lacy, Forte, 49ers, Kilgore

December 4th, 2015 at 10:12pm CST by Luke Adams

After back-to-back 100-yard games, Eddie Lacy didn’t see much action on Thursday night against the Lions, which seemed like an unusual call on the Packers‘ part, even though Lacy didn’t do much with his handful of carries. However, it seems Green Bay’s decision wasn’t solely based on Lacy’s on-field performance.

According to Rob Demovksy of ESPN.com, Lacy and fellow running back Alonzo Harris missed curfew on Wednesday night in Detroit. The violation of team rules resulted in a demotion for Lacy and a lost roster spot for Harris, who was cut just hours before the game in favor of practice squad back John Crockett.

When I passed along word earlier this afternoon that the Packers brought in former Broncos running back Montee Ball for a workout today, I noted that the Green Bay backfield situation was worth monitoring. That’s even more true in the wake of Demovsky’s report.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel adds a few more names to the group of players who worked out for the Packers today, tweeting that wide receivers Jamel Johnson, Deon Long, and Kevin Vereen also got auditions.
  • Matt Forte has been with the Bears his whole career, but is prepared to move on this offseason if they don’t offer him a contract, writes Chris Wesseling of NFL.com. “There’s nothing I can do, really, except play football,” Forte said. “The decision on whether I stay or whether I go is not really up to me. It’s whether I get offered a contract extension, which I haven’t been offered one and doesn’t really look like it. If not, I go into free agency. So I’m pretty much satisfied with either way it goes.”
  • Addressing the reassignment of team president Paraag Marathe, which was reported earlier today, 49ers CEO Jed York has issued a statement via the club’s website. As expected, York presents the decision as one that Marathe was involved in making. “Despite how some have chosen to portray this transition in the media, I want you to know that Paraag has been and will continue to be an instrumental member of this organization,” York said in the statement.
  • 49ers center Daniel Kilgore is expected to make the trip to Chicago this weekend as a part of the active roster, but the 49ers still need to move him from the physically-unable-to-perform list. Head coach Jim Tomsula hinted that the move would occur on Saturday morning, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.

West Notes: 49ers, Manning, Broncos

December 2nd, 2015 at 8:26pm CST by Zachary Links

The deadline for the 49ers to activate Daniel Kilgore is fast approaching. For his part, the center says that he’s good to go, as Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee writes.

“I’d like to have something to build off of for the offseason, see where I am,” Kilgore said Wednesday. “It’s been over a year now. And I’ve been doing all this training. So I’d like to do something. I don’t want to do all this training for nothing.”

Kilgore’s fill-in, second-year player Marcus Martin, has struggled so far through 11 games with Pro Football Focus rating him as the NFL’s worst center in 2015.

Here’s more out of the West divisions:

  • When asked about his future beyond 2015, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning told reporters that he hasn’t arrived at a decision or even pondered it, as Troy Renck of The Denver Post tweets. “This is when ‘they’ and ‘sources’ seem to show their heads. I haven’t thought about anything but getting healthy,” Manning said.
  • Broncos linebacker Shaquil Barrett for has hired agents Drew Rosenhaus and Jason Katz of Rosenhaus Sports for representation, per Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter). Barrett, 23, is earning a paltry $435K this season and will make $525K in 2016 under the contract he signed as a UDFA in 2014. In 2015, the Colorado State product has appeared in 11 games with 4 starts, racking up 33 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
  • The Seahawks auditioned tight end Anthony McCoy on Wednesday, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). McCoy could be an option to help fill the role of star tight end Jimmy Graham.

NFC Notes: Vikings, Lions, 49ers

November 28th, 2015 at 8:29pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

When the Vikings acquired Mike Wallace from Miami in the offseason, they were getting one of the NFL’s most accomplished wideouts over the previous half-decade. Wallace had accumulated 60-plus catches and 800 or more yards in five straight seasons, also totaling an impressive 41 touchdowns during that span. That version of Wallace hasn’t shown up in Minnesota, however, as the 29-year-old has just 28 receptions, 318 yards and a mere one score in 10 games. Thanks to his lack of productivity, Wallace has set the stage for his release in the offseason, writes Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. If the Vikings cut Wallace after the season, they’ll save $11.5MM on their salary cap in both 2016 and ’17.

More on the Vikings and two of their NFC counterparts:

  • The Vikings are about to endure an 18-day stretch that could define their season, opines Mark Craig of the Star Tribune. At 7-3, it would seem the Vikings are in line for a playoff spot at the moment, but they’ve gone 0-2 against plus-.500 teams this year and face three postseason contenders in consecutive weeks. “It seems like every time we play these big-time games, we don’t show up,” stated cornerback Captain Munnerlyn. “So we got to fix that. We got to fix that right now.” If the Vikings don’t fix it with the 6-4 Falcons, 5-5 Seahawks and 8-2 Cardinals looming, they could go from the driver’s seat of the NFC North to 7-6 in a hurry.
  • By hiring longtime general manager Ernie Accorsi as a consultant to help them find a new GM, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press submits that the Lions are handling their search properly. Next up, Birkett believes the team needs to clarify an ownership succession plan to assure candidates that the franchise is stable.
  • 49ers center Daniel Kilgore remains on the team’s PUP list this weekend, having not been added to the 53-man roster today. However, as Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee tweets, San Francisco will have one more week to potentially activate Kilgore, who has practiced for the last two weeks.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: 49ers, Cousins, Lockette, Lions

November 16th, 2015 at 3:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Offensive lineman Daniel Kilgore and wide receiver DeAndre Smelter will begin practicing for the 49ers this week, head coach Jim Tomsula confirmed today (Twitter link via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle). Once they begin practicing, the Niners will have a three-week window to decide whether or not to activate Kilgore from the PUP list and Smelter from the NFI list.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • Asked whether Washington has engaged in contract talks with quarterback Kirk Cousins, whose current deal expires at year’s end, head coach Jay Gruden said that the team will “keep that in-house for now,” tweets Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post. Gruden added that the team would love to retain Cousins, but said “that’s up to [GM] Scot [McCloughan], Kirk’s agent and Kirk” (link via John Keim of ESPN.com).
  • Despite suffering a significant injury that required neck surgery, Seahawks wide receiver and special-teamer Ricardo Lockette expects to play next season, writes Jayson Jenks of the Seattle Times. At the time of the injury, there was concern that Lockette’s career could be over, but he has high expectations for himself, telling Jenks he aims to be a Pro Bowler in 2016.
  • After shaking up their offensive coaching staff last month, the Lions are hiring Arizona State senior offensive analyst Ryan Silverfield as an assistant offensive line coach, a league source tells Thayer Evans of SI.com. Detroit parted ways with a pair of offensive line coaches when the team fired former offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, and didn’t replace both assistants immediately.
  • Following the team’s seventh straight loss, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) takes a look at an increasingly tense Cowboys locker room, with a focus on Dez Bryant and Greg Hardy.

NFC Notes: Kilgore, Carroll, Thompson, Fells

October 20th, 2015 at 3:33pm CST by Zachary Links

49ers center Daniel Kilgore suffered a broken left leg in a loss against the Broncos one year ago, but his 2015 debut doesn’t appear to be imminent, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. When asked if he could sit out the 2015 season, Kilgore didn’t rule out that scenario.

“I wouldn’t suspect that, but there’s always that possibility,” Kilgore said. “A year ago, I wouldn’t have said I would be in this situation. So you always have that possibility.”

Let’s round up a few more odds and ends from around the NFC….

  • Joining a chorus of NFL head coaches who have had to shoot down college rumors in recent weeks, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said that a return to USC is “not happening,” as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes.
  • Good news for the Panthers: Shaq Thompson appeared to suffer a serious injury on Sunday, but a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) that it turned out to only be a sprained MCL for the rookie linebacker.
  • Cardinals tight end Darren Fells may miss two or three weeks with a sprained shoulder, a source tells ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss (on Twitter). Fells had an MRI on Monday morning to better assess the damage.
  • As we detailed yesterday, the Buccaneers have two players now eligible to begin practicing, and the club announced today that both Demar Dotson (IR-DTR) and Akeem Spence (PUP) will rejoin their teammates on the practice field beginning Tuesday. Tampa Bay will have a three-week window to activate the duo.
  • Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com feels that Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery is worthy of a long-term investment. Jeffery’s performance in Detroit – eight receptions for 147 yards and one touchdown – reinforced his importance to the team in the view of Dickerson, who says Chicago should not let the wideout reach the open market next spring. Dickerson doesn’t view Jeffery as an elite receiver, but he does feel that he is in the next tier, along with guys such as T.Y. Hilton, Mike Wallace, Vincent Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. I’d agree with that assessment, though Jeffery has to stay healthy in order to justify that type of money.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

PUP, NFI Players Soon Eligible To Practice

October 19th, 2015 at 10:30am CST by Luke Adams

Week 6 of the NFL season will come to an end after Monday night’s game between the Giants and Eagles, and when teams begin preparing for Week 7, many clubs could be welcoming injured players back to practice. Six weeks into the NFL season, players who were placed on the physically unable to perform list or the non-football injury list prior to Week 1’s games will be eligible to return to the practice field.

Of course, just because those players are able to return to practice doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be healthy enough to do so. Players on the PUP list have a five-week window to begin practicing. Once they return to practice, they have three weeks to be added to their respective teams’ active rosters. In other words, a player currently on the PUP list could return to the field for his team’s Week 7 game, or could return as late as for his team’s Week 15 contest.

The rules for NFI players are similar to those for PUP players. If a player on either reserve list doesn’t return to practice or game action in time, his 2015 season will officially be over.

Here are the players currently on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list who can begin practicing as soon as this Tuesday:

And here are the players currently on their teams’ non-football injury or illness lists, who are also eligible to begin practicing this Tuesday:

  • Arizona Cardinals: WR Damond Powell
  • Buffalo Bills: CB Leodis McKelvin
  • Cincinnati Bengals: T Cedric Ogbuehi
  • Cleveland Browns: DB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, TE Randall Telfer, RB Glenn Winston
  • Dallas Cowboys: LB Mark Nzeocha
  • Houston Texans: T David Quessenberry
  • Kansas City Chiefs: QB Tyler Bray
  • San Francisco 49ers: WR DeAndre Smelter
  • Seattle Seahawks: DT Jesse Williams

In addition to monitoring players on the PUP and NFI lists, it’s worth keeping an eye on players who have been placed on the injured reserve list with the designation to return. Teams can use this IR-DTR spot on one player per season, placing him on the injured reserve list without necessarily ruling him out for the season. As we explained in an earlier post, players given this designation can begin practicing after six weeks and can return after eight weeks.

That means that a player who was placed on IR-DTR prior to Week 1 can begin practicing on Tuesday, though he won’t be eligible to return to game action until Week 9. A player who was placed on IR-DTR after Week 1 will have to wait until next Tuesday – October 27 – to return to practice, while other IR-DTR players will have to wait until November to practice.

Here’s the list of players currently on IR-DTR who can begin practicing as soon as Tuesday:

49ers Trim Roster To 75 Players

August 31st, 2015 at 3:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The 49ers have reduced their roster count to 75 players in advance of tomorrow’s deadline, announcing a series of transactions today in a press release.

The club placed offensive lineman Daniel Kilgore on the reserve/PUP list and receiver DeAndre Smelter on the reserve/NFI list, meaning both players will be sidelined for at least six weeks. Additionally, wideout Dres Anderson and linebacker Desmond Bishop were placed on injured reserve, which will end their respective seasons, barring an eventual injury settlement.

The 49ers also waived the following players:

  • K Corey Acosta
  • LB Steve Beauharnais
  • CB Mylan Hicks
  • T Sean Hooey
  • WR Mario Hull
  • WR Chuck Jacobs
  • WR Nigel King
  • LB Shawn Lemon
  • FB Trey Millard
  • DL Lawrence Okoye

Reaction To Anthony Davis’ Retirement

June 5th, 2015 at 7:14pm CST by Rob DiRe

The most surprising news of the NFL day was the seemingly out-of-nowhere retirement of 25-year-old offensive tackle Anthony Davis. This is the latest in a run of early retirements for top 49ers’ players.

His statement was tweeted out by Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter), courtesy of Davis’ agent Drew Rosenhaus.

Here is some reaction from around the 49ers following Davis’ decision:

  • Davis’ retirement may not have been a total surprise, writes Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter). He writes that a player said Davis was talking about stepping away from the game last season.
  • Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 adds to Barrows comments, noting Chris Borland talked about it last season as well, noting that works against the theory that Jim Harbaugh is at fault for the retirements (via Twitter).
  • The financial ramifications of the move could be severe for Davis, who will have to return the unearned portion of his signing bonus. Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com has all the details on how the contract will effect Davis and the team’s cap.
  • Fellow offensive lineman Joe Looney chimed in on his teammate’s retirement, writes Inman (via Twitter). “You can’t replace AD. He’s was, he is, a hell of a player. He always worked hard every play.”
  • Inman also passed along a statement from guard Daniel Kilgore (via Twitter). “I’m as shocked as anybody else. I hate to see him go. He’s a great player, great teammate.”
  • Alex Marvez of Fox Sports 1 writes about the tearing down of the 49ers’ roster this offseason, losing young talent to retirement. He believes head coach Jim Tomsula and company could be in trouble despite having a team that has been in the NFC Championship game three of the past four seasons.
  • Linebacker Michael Wilhoite wants 49ers fans to have faith in the team to ignore the doomsday mentality that has followed these retirements, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). “Just have faith. They call them The Faithful, so stay faithful.”
  • The 49ers have a few option at right tackle, including Erik Pears, sliding Alex Boone over, or letting sixth-round draft pick Ian Silberman get a chance at tackle, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter). Silberman was more likely drafted as a guard, but played right tackle at Boston College.
  • Joe Buscaglia, who covers the Bills for WKBW in Buffalo, is not optimistic about Colin Kaepernick‘s chances of succeeding with Pears starting at right tackle (via Twitter).
  • Branch also points readers to his profile of former University of Florida offensive tackle and seventh-round pick Trent Brown, who could be an option to replace Davis in the lineup. The nearly 6’9″, 355-pound lineman is the only unquestioned offensive tackle the 49ers selected in the NFL Draft this year.

Daniel Kilgore Breaks Leg, Out For Year

October 25th, 2014 at 12:42pm CST by Rob DiRe

SATURDAY, 12:42pm: Kilgore has officially been placed on the injured reserve, effectively ending his season.

MONDAY, 8:07am: Niners head coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed last night that Kilgore suffered a broken leg, which will likely end his season, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

SUNDAY, 10:17pm: 49ers center Daniel Kilgore suffered a lower left leg injury during the Sunday Night Football matchup against the Broncos, reports Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter).

An air cast was placed on Kilgore, an indication that the injury could be a serious fracture, writes Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter). Backup Dillon Farrell has taken over for Kilgore in the game.

A number of centers will be available in free agnecy if the 49ers feel they need to bring in outside help to replace Kilgore. Some options will be David Baas, Dan Koppen, Steve Vallos, Andre Gurode, Rob Turner, Lemuel JeanPierre, and Dylan Gandy, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter).

The player on the top of that list, Baas, could be a fit in a return to the team. However, he is dealing with injury issues himself. Caplan writes that Bass may never play again (via Twitter).

The team recently got rookie third-round pick Marcus Martin back with the team, and he completed his first full week of practice with the team. Martin is an option to be quickly acclimated to the offense, so he can be inserted into the lineup very soon, writes Maiocco (via Twitter).

Draft Notes: Murray, Barr, Mason, Hyde

April 12th, 2014 at 12:29pm CST by Matt Feminis

Georgia quarterback prospect Aaron Murray, recovering from an ACL injury, has drawn significant interest, reports Pro Football Talk, which lists the Browns, Dolphins, Jaguars, Lions, Patriots, Rams and Titans as teams taking an extended look.

In other draft-related news and notes…

  • LSU quarterback prospect Zach Mettenberger has a private workout scheduled with the Titans, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • Drafting UCLA pass rusher Anthony Barr is a better option for the Eagles than trading for Dolphins second-year pass rusher Dion Jordan (drafted third overall last year after playing for Chip Kelly at Oregon), according to NJ.com’s Eliot Shorr-Parks, who provides a detailed comparison.
  • BYU rush linebacker prospect Kyle Van Noy did an interview with Darren Smith of 1090 AM and said the Chargers would be his ideal landing spot.
  • A pair of running back prospects, Auburn’s Tre Mason and Wisconsin’s James White, worked out for the Dolphins yesterday, per Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel (via Twitter).
  • The Eagles have also shown interest in Mason, according to Shorr-Parks. The team sent running backs coach Duce Staley to Auburn’s pro day
  • Ohio State running back Carlos Hyde, Washington tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Liberty cornerback Walt Aikens visited the Bills yesterday, according to the team’s website.
  • The 49ers are expected to draft a center to compete with Daniel Kilgore, writes Doug Williams of CSN Bay Area.
  • Small-school pass rusher Howard Jones from Shepherd University spent two days meeting with the Cardinals, according to a story by David Fawcett on insidenova.com. Jones is also scheduled for a visit with the Cowboys, though a Chiefs scout advised him he has “got to eat.”
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