- The 49ers drafted N.C. State’s Kentavius Street shortly after he tore his ACL in a pre-draft workout with the Giants, but the rookie defensive end may be on the verge of practicing, Kyle Shanahan said Monday. Street is on the 49ers’ NFI list and will not play in a game this season, though, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports (on Twitter). Still, practice work would help as Street prepares for a hopefully healthy 2019 offseason.
The second of Pierre Garcon‘s two 49ers seasons will end with the veteran wide receiver on injured reserve. The 49ers will place Garcon on IR this week, Kyle Shanahan said (via the Sacramento Bee’s Matt Barrows, on Twitter).
A knee injury has sidelined Garcon for the past four games. He will end a second straight 49ers slate having played in just eight contests.
Garcon will undergo arthroscopic surgery on the injured knee this week. This spate of injury trouble is new for the 11-year veteran, whose Redskins tenure concluded with 71 straight regular-season starts.
The former Colts and Redskins wideout generated trade interest before the deadline, but the 49ers opted not to move their then-healthy wideout. The 32-year-old pass-catcher will conclude his season with 24 receptions for 286 yards and one touchdown — his only score as a 49er thus far. Garcon posted a 40-500-0 season in 2017, doing so with Brian Hoyer and C.J. Beathard as San Francisco’s QBs.
A coveted free agent in 2017, Garcon chose the 49ers’ five-year, $47.5MM offer. He received $17MM fully guaranteed and would not provide the 49ers much in cap savings if they opted to move on after 2018. It would cost the 49ers $7.2MM in dead money if they cut Garcon after this season. Though, the 49ers are projected to hold more than $66MM in cap space and could absorb that cap hit if they wanted to go in another direction.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
It won’t be this year or the next, but at some point before he calls it quits on a likely Hall of Fame career, cornerback Richard Sherman is likely to make the move to safety, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch writes.
In the first of a three-year deal with the 49ers, Sherman still rates as an above average cornerback according to Pro Football Focus. Now in his 30s, however, the star defender is already looking to make a similar move that prolonged the careers of Charles Woodson, Rod Woodson and Aeneas Williams. Despite the move, don’t expect him to play into his late 30s.
- With the college game becoming more intertwined with the professional ranks, Pete Thamel of Yahoo! Sports listed 10 college coaches who could make the jump to the NFL. To no one’s surprise, Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley was at the top of the heap thanks to his high-powered offense that produced a Heisman Trophy winner in Baker Mayfield, and potentially another in Kyler Murray. Other notable names on the list include Stanford’s David Shaw, former 49ers coach and current Michigan man Jim Harbaugh and Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald.
- In her first comments to the media after Reuben Foster was arrested on domestic violence charges in Tampa last month, Foster’s ex-girlfriend Elissa Ennis indicated the 49ers attempted to intervene during Foster’s arrest. It’s unclear whether Ennis was referring to San Francisco staffers or other players, but the club has issued a statement nonetheless. “The 49ers fully cooperated with authorities, assisted in locating Mr. Foster and in no way impeded their investigation,” said the team. San Francisco, of course, immediately waived Foster following the arrest, but he was claimed by the Redskins. Tampa Police are still reviewing the case against Foster, but an arraignment is tentatively scheduled for January 3, tweets Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Reuben Foster‘s ex-girlfriend admitted that she falsely recanted her allegations of abuse earlier this year in an effort to protect the linebacker. In an interview with ABC, Elissa Ennis explained that she helped get the charges dropped against Foster in order to keep him out of prison and continue their relationship. 
“Love will have you doing things that’s not in your best interests,” she said (via ESPN.com) “I did what I had to do for the person I love. I thought that he would change.”
Ennis also claims the 49ers tried to intervene during Foster’s arrest last month. When police arrived to the team hotel, she alleges that people from the 49ers told cops she was the same woman who previously recanted allegations against Foster. It’s not immediately clear whether Ennis is alleging interference from players or other team staffers.
During the interview, Foster’s ex-girlfriend described a pattern of abuse between her and Foster. On at least three different occasions, she says, she was punched and kicked by the former first round pick.
The 49ers released Foster soon after the November arrest and the Redskins claimed him off waivers. Foster was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list (paid suspension) while the legal process plays out, so he is unlikely to suit up for Washington this year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Mose Frazier
Detroit Lions
- Placed on IR: LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin
- Promoted from practice squad: DE Eric Lee
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers: DE Fadol Brown (from Raiders), DB Natrell Jamerson (from Texans)
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: DE Kony Ealy, CB Bené Benwikere
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LS Colin Holba
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Pita Taumoepenu
- Placed on injured reserve: DE Dekoda Watson
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.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The NFL should seek to end the Colin Kaepernick collusion grievance via settlement, if only for its own good, opines Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The league has indeed broached the topic of a financial settlement with Kaepernick and his team, but those talks have reportedly gone nowhere, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com indicated earlier this week. A 2019 hearing now appears likely, but as Florio writes, the NFL has a lot to lose by allowing a hearing to take place. League personnel would likely be deposed, internal communications could be made public, and — in a worst-case scenario — Kaepernick could prove collusion did indeed take place. Of course, the former 49ers quarterback would have to be amenable to a settlement, and given that a) he’s earned more than $43MM during his career and b) his grievance and interests don’t appear to be financially motivated, it seems unlikely he’d agree to be paid for his silence.
- In his latest mailbag for The Athletic, Matt Barrows writes — perhaps unsurprisingly — 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is in no danger of losing his job despite a disappointing 2018 campaign. Shanahan and general manager John Lynch signed dual six-year contracts prior to the 2017 season, so he presumably has plenty of leeway to execute his vision in San Francisco. Additionally, the 49ers lost both quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and running back Jerick McKinnon before September ended, making it difficult to evaluate the club’s offensive talent.
- More from Burrows, who adds three-game starting quarterback Nick Mullens‘ “leash was shortened” following his lackluster performance against the Buccaneers in Week 12. After tossing three touchdowns in his first NFL start, Mullens — whom the 49ers signed as an undrafted free agent in 2017 — has regressed over the past two weeks, throwing just two scores against four picks while posting a 68.5 passer rating during that time. C.J. Beathard, who’s managed a 81.8 quarterback rating in six appearances this season, is now healthy and could get another shot under center if Mullens struggles against the Seahawks on Sunday.
- Former Raiders/49ers edge rusher Aldon Smith turned himself into San Francisco police on Tuesday after being accused of domestic violence, reports Evan Sernoffsky of the San Francisco Chronicle. Smith, of course, has been no stranger to off-field incidents since being selected in the first round of the 2011 draft. The Raiders quickly released Smith following another domestic violence episode earlier this year, and it’s obvious Smith will never play in the NFL again.
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed off Dolphins’ practice squad: DE Cameron Malveaux,
- Signed: CB Dontae Johnson, CB Quinten Rollins
- Released: CB Chris Jones
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: P Matt Darr
- Waived: P Colton Schmidt
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Lorenzo Doss
Denver Broncos
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Temarrick Hemingway
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: OL Gerhard de Beer
Houston Texans
- Activated from IR: LB Dylan Cole
- Waived: LB Josh Keyes
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted from practice squad: CB C.J. Reavis
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: OL Chaz Green
San Francisco 49ers
- Claimed: DB Godwin Igwebuike (from Buccaneers)
- Promoted from practice squad: LB James Onwualu
- Placed on IR: CB/S Jimmie Ward
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: WR Keenan Reynolds
Here are Tuesday’s practice squad decisions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Jalen Tolliver
- Cut: Vincent Valentine
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DB Bennett Jackson
- Cut: RB Mark Thompson
Denver Broncos
- Signed: DL Caushaud Lyons, TE Tim Semisch, T Dan Skipper
- Placed on PS-IR: OT Andreas Knappe
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Hakeem Valles
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: CB Jalen Myrick
- Released from PS-IR: DE Jonathan Wynn
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LB Tyrell Adams, WR Max McCaffrey