49ers Want To Keep Richard Sherman
Richard Sherman is in his walk year, but 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan hopes that this won’t be the end of the line. This week, Shanahan said that the veteran cornerback is very much in the team’s plans for 2021.
[RELATED: 49ers Tried To Claim Will Parks]
“Sherm’s a guy that, personally, and I know [GM John Lynch] feels the same — we went on our team at all times,” Shanahan said (via Matt Maiocco of NBCSportsBayArea.com). “Sherm’s a guy that when he does get older and he does descend, he’s such a good football player, he finds a way.”
Just last week, Sherman found his way back to the lineup after missing the bulk of the year with a calf injury. After notching seven stops and an interception in his return, it’s clear that he’s still got a lot left in the tank. The Niners will probably wait until the offseason to talk contract, but Lynch has also gone on record with his affection for Sherman. The 32-year-old (33 in March) is someone he wants “on our team at all times.”
After his 2017 Achilles injury, Sherman re-emerged as a top-tier cornerback in 2019. The two sides did discuss an extension in September, but Sherman has spent the last few months focusing on rehab. Last time around, Sherman represented himself and signed a three-year, $27.2MM deal. Since then, the cornerback market has advanced considerably.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/3/20
Here are Thursday’s practice squad decisions:
Denver Broncos
- Placed on practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Darius Kilgo
Las Vegas Raiders
- Placed on practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Nick Bowers
New York Giants
- Signed: S Montre Hartage, K Ryan Santoso
- Released: DB Chris Williamson
San Francisco 49ers
- Activated from practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list, released: TE Daniel Helm
49ers, Vikings Tried To Claim Will Parks
The Broncos plucked former Eagles safety Will Parks off the waiver wire this week, but they weren’t the only club in the mix. The 49ers and Vikings also submitted claims for the veteran, according to Mike Kaye of NJ.com. 
Both teams had their chance to snag Parks this past offseason. The Vikings were reportedly left at the altar, along with the Lions. Parks ultimately chose the Eagles, who offered him a chance to play a good deal of three-safety sets in front of a hometown crowd. The Vikings, meanwhile, saw Parks more as a special teams cog. Barring an injury to Anthony Harris or Harrison Smith, Parks would have been a longshot to see significant snaps.
The Niners apparently preferred Parks to their in-house options. With Parks headed back to Denver, SF promoted safety Kai Nacua from the practice squad and signed Chris Edwards to take his place on the reserve unit.
Ultimately, Parks found a good platform as he looks ahead to free agency. Given his familiarity with Vic Fangio’s system, Parks should have opportunities as a safety, slot man, and a coverage linebacker in sub-packages.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/2/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Buffalo Bills
- Promoted: WR Jake Kumerow
Denver Broncos
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DL Shelby Harris
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: DT Kevin Strong
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Krys Barnes
Houston Texans
- Promoted: DL Corey Liuget
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted: DT Benito Jones
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: LS Andrew DePaola
San Francisco 49ers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Brandon Aiyuk, DL D.J. Jones, DL Jordan Willis
- Promoted: S Kai Nacua
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: DL Jeremiah Ledbetter
- Waived: LB Jack Cichy
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/1/20
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: DL Rashard Lawrence
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Khalil Dorsey, QB Trace McSorley, DT Brandon Williams, CB Tavon Young
Denver Broncos
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Blake Bortles, QB Drew Lock, QB Brett Rypien
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: WR Darrius Shepherd
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: LS Austin Cutting, LB Hardy Nickerson
New York Giants
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: T Matt Peart, WR Dante Pettis, TE Kaden Smith
- Waived: S Montre Hartage, K Ryan Santoso
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: S Grayland Arnold
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on IR: CB Jamar Taylor (story), CB Ken Webster
- Waived: S Chris Edwards
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Will Compton
49ers’ Dee Ford, Weston Richburg, Ronald Blair Not Expected To Play Again This Year
The hits just keep on coming for a banged up 49ers team that will now be playing it’s home games in Arizona. Defensive ends Dee Ford and Ronald Blair as well as center Weston Richburg all aren’t expected to play the rest of the season, head coach Kyle Shanahan said during his Tuesday press conference.
Back in late October Shanahan had said Ford wouldn’t return until Week 12 at the earliest, but now the team is shutting him down. Richburg was eligible to return from the PUP list after Week 6, and the last we heard about him was in October as well when it was reported he was likely a few weeks away. Blair also was on the PUP list to start the year, and the team had initially hoped to have him back for the start of the season. Shanahan said both Blair and Richburg suffered serious setbacks during their respective recoveries.
Richburg suffered a torn patellar tendon late last year while Blair went down with an ACL tear in November, and both apparently experienced complications. Richburg was the team’s full-time starter at center in 2018 and 2019, and his absence has left a big hole along the offensive line. Blair has played a rotational role as a pass-rusher since the 49ers drafted him in 2016, and he certainly could’ve been used this season as San Francisco experienced a rash of injuries up front, including an ACL tear for Nick Bosa.
Ford has been a big disappointment and unable to stay on the field since the 49ers traded a second-round pick for him and signed him to a new five-year, $87.5MM deal in March of 2019. He played in only 11 games last season and just one this time around after what has proved to be a disastrous trade.
Ford is signed through the 2023 season at over $15MM annually, but the 49ers can get out of his contract without taking too much of a hit this offseason. The team shopped him this past offseason, but it’s doubtful anyone is looking to take on that contract now. Ford had 13 sacks and led the league in forced fumbles as recently as 2018, but his stock has taken a big hit the past couple years. Hopefully he can get healthy and back to his old self soon. In the meantime, unless he’s willing to take a paycut, he’s likely played his last down with the 49ers.
49ers CB Jamar Taylor Has Torn ACL
The injuries keep on coming for a banged up 49ers team. San Francisco picked up a huge win over the Rams yesterday but cornerback Jamar Taylor tore his ACL in the process, Matt Barrows of The Athletic tweets.
Obviously, he’ll miss the rest of the season. It’s an especially tough blow for Taylor since, as Barrows wrote in a piece just last week, he was having a strong season. Making it even tougher is the fact that Taylor is set to be a free agent at the end of the year, and this will surely negatively impact his market. If he avoided any other ligament damage he should be ready for the start of the 2021 campaign.
Taylor signed with the 49ers back in June, but was released right before the start of the season. He was soon added to the practice squad, and promoted to the active roster shortly thereafter. Due to injuries he quickly started getting real playing time, and has started three of their past seven games. He intercepted two passes during the 49ers’ win over the Patriots, his only two picks of the year.
A second-round pick of the Dolphins back in 2013, Taylor has bounced around a bit. He started 29 games for the Browns from 2016-17, but hasn’t been able to find a consistent home since. As Barrows wrote in his piece, the coaching staff is fond of Taylor, and all the team’s cornerbacks will be free agents this spring. Perhaps he’ll be brought back on a one-year prove-it deal. He turned 30 in September.
49ers To Play Home Games In Arizona
The 49ers have officially come up with a plan after Santa Clara county officials barred them from playing at home. The team will play their home games in Arizona at the Cardinals’ stadium for the rest of the year, they announced Monday.
“The San Francisco 49ers have come to an agreement with the National Football League and Arizona Cardinals which allows the 49ers to host their Weeks 13 and 14 home games against the Buffalo Bills and Washington Football Team at State Farm Stadium in Arizona,” the release reads. “Information regarding the 49ers future practice arrangements will be shared at the appropriate time.”
We heard yesterday that a stadium in Texas was also a possibility, but that the league office preferred they play in an NFL arena. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said after his team’s game yesterday that it was “extremely disappointing” the county didn’t give them more notice, and that they were essentially blindsided by the announcement.
The 49ers also have a home game in Week 17, although since it’s more than three weeks away (the timeframe of the halt in Santa Clara county), they may still be able to play that one in their normal stadium. As their statement says it’s unclear what they’ll do for practice, although NFL Network reported over the weekend that the team might just get a hotel in Arizona and form a bubble of sorts out in the desert. It’s a tough situation for the players and their families, who will likely now have to be separated for the time being.
Extra Points: 49ers, Hurts, Gase
The 49ers picked up a huge win over the Rams on Sunday, but they were dealt an unexpected blow earlier this week when Santa Clara County officials suddenly announced they wouldn’t be allowed to practice or play in their stadium moving forward. That’s left the 49ers reeling, with little time to formulate a backup plan. Speaking after the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan said it was “extremely disappointing” that the team wasn’t given any advanced notice, and said “we’re working our tail off” to find new accommodations. As of right now the “most likely” option is for the 49ers to play their remaining home games at the Cardinals’ stadium, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Their division rivals are apparently willing to lend a helping hand to the 49ers. Rapoport also writes that a stadium in Texas is another option, although the NFL would prefer them to play at an NFL arena. The question would then turn into what the team will do for a living situation. Rapoport writes that it’s possible the team just stays in Arizona and lives out of hotels in the area, forming a bubble of sorts. It’s a tough situation that will put 5-6 San Fran at a competitive disadvantage for the rest of the year. We’ll update whenever a plan is officially ironed out.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Eagles fans that have been clamoring for more Jalen Hurts are about to get their wish. Philly is expected to give Hurts his most extensive playing time of the season, including plays where Carson Wentz isn’t on the field, for their Monday night game against the Seahawks, Rapoport writes. Rapsheet says it’s unlikely he’ll get a full series, but to expect to see him for two or three plays at a time. Philly inflicted this quarterback controversy upon themselves by drafting Hurts in the second-round back in April. Wentz, of course, has been mostly awful this season. He’s still owed over $50MM in guaranteed money over the next two seasons, but it sounds like things could finally be trending toward a benching if he doesn’t get things turned around soon. Either way, it’ll be very interesting to see how Hurts looks on MNF.
- The Jets continued their march toward a potential winless season with a defeat at the hands of the Dolphins. 0-11 aside, there’s now a minor controversy over who is calling the plays in New York. Before the game, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com tweeted that Adam Gase would re-take play calling duties from offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains. But after the game, Gase insisted he wasn’t calling the plays. Reporters pressed Gase on it, claiming Loggains looked like he was doing nothing on the sidelines and that Gase was the one talking. Gase then claimed Loggains would talk to him before the drive about what plays to call, then conceded he was calling the plays for third downs and two-minute drills. Sam Darnold said after the game that it was Gase’s voice in his helmet telling him the plays. It’s another bizarre situation, but one that is pretty much par for the course for this 2020 Jets campaign.
49ers Searching For Temporary Practice, Game Sites?
Santa Clara County has imposed new COVID-19 restrictions, and they will likely require the 49ers to find venues to hold practices and games over the next few weeks.
To help combat the skyrocketing pandemic, the county where the 49ers play is implementing a temporary ban on contact sports, Fiona Kelliher of the San Jose Mercury News reports. The new policy begins at 12:01am Monday; the 49ers will not be exempt. Santa Clary County is also imposing a 14-day quarantine for visitors traveling into the county from beyond 150 miles.
California teams spent time searching for potential training camp alternatives this summer but ended up holding camp at their respective facilities. This time, the 49ers may need to make a major in-season adjustment. The team has begun to look for emergency replacement sites, The Athletic’s Matt Barrows tweets. A 49ers exemption should not be ruled out, especially given the uprooting the team would need to go through to comply with the new measure.
The 49ers have two home games that would be impacted — Sun., Dec. 7 against the Bills and Sat., Dec. 13 against Washington. It appears the team hit hardest by injuries this season will need to make more adjustments.