Weston Richburg To Miss Regular-Season Time
The 49ers are not expected to have their starting center back for a while. Weston Richburg appears a candidate for the reserve/PUP list.
Kyle Shanahan said Thursday that Richburg will not be available for San Francisco’s Week 1 game, and Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area adds that the veteran blocker is expected to be out for the season’s first six weeks. That would point to a PUP list stay. Players who land on the reserve/PUP list at the season’s outset are forced to miss at least six weeks.
Richburg suffered a torn patellar tendon in December. This is a particularly difficult injury to surmount, and the late-season setback looks certain to affect Richburg’s 2020 slate. This will be Richburg’s third 49ers season. The former Giants second-round pick was targeting a training camp return, but that does not appear to be in the cards.
San Francisco has seen some turnover up front, with Trent Williams succeeding Joe Staley and Tom Compton being brought in to follow two-year starter Mike Person. Richburg backup Ben Garland is also out, and recent acquisition Spencer Long retired. These developments led to the 49ers signing Hroniss Grasu. Garland is expected to be out for multiple weeks with his ankle injury, Maiocco adds.
There will be at least three new starters on the 49ers’ O-line in Week 1, with Laken Tomlinson and Mike McGlinchey being the holdovers. San Francisco returned all five of its starting linemen to start last season.
49ers To Sign Johnathan Cyprien
The 49ers have agreed to sign safety Johnathan Cyprien, agent Drew Rosenhaus tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but it’s likely a one-year pact for the veteran’s minimum.
[RELATED: 49ers, WR Jaron Brown Agree To Deal]
Cyprien originally entered the league as a second-round pick of the Jaguars back in 2013. After four years as a full-time starter in Jacksonville, he signed with the Titans in 2017. He missed six games with a hamstring injury that year, but started the other ten. In 2018, a torn ACL cost him the entire season.
Last August, the veteran hooked on with the Eagles. But, before the end of September, he was shipped to the Falcons for linebacker Duke Riley. One week later, he was placed on IR after just five total games played.
Injuries have derailed Cyprien repeatedly over the last three years, but he’s still only 30. With experience and the ability to deliver crushing hits, he could carve out a role as a reserve in SF. He’ll make his case for a spot behind Jaquiski Tartt and Jimmie Ward over the next few weeks.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/19/20
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the afternoon.
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: P Lachlan Edwards
- Waived: K/P Kaare Vedvik
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Rodney Adams
Detroit Lions
- Re-signed: WR Chris Lacy
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: T Travis Bruffy, WR Travis Fulgham
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: S Adrian Colbert, WR Marcus Kemp
New Orleans Saints
- Waived/injured: DB Tino Ellis
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LB/S: Evan Foster
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Krishawn Hogan, RB Marcus Marshall
- Waived: RB Dalyn Dawkins, TE Parker Hesse, WR Kyle Williams
49ers To Sign OL Hroniss Grasu
Recent 49ers acquisition Spencer Long opted to retire, and the team added another depth piece to fill the void. Former Bears starting center Hroniss Grasu agreed to terms with the 49ers, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
The agreement is pending COVID-19 testing, but Grasu would potentially provide some second-string help for a 49ers team that has some uncertainty on its O-line interior.
San Francisco moved on from two-year guard starter Mike Person, who subsequently retired, and center starter Weston Richburg resides on the team’s active/PUP list. Utility man Ben Garland is also battling an ankle injury. The team is also thin at guard, beyond starters Laken Tomlinson and Tom Compton.
Grasu, 29, spent the past two seasons with the Ravens. Injuries sidetracked his run with the Bears. He landed in Baltimore in 2018 but also spent time with Tennessee during that stretch. The former third-round pick started a game for the Ravens in 2018 but has only appeared in four contests over the past two seasons.
49ers, WR Jaron Brown Agree To Deal
Another veteran wideout is heading to San Francisco. After signing Tavon Austin and J.J. Nelson, the 49ers agreed to terms with Jaron Brown, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
This will mark Brown’s third NFC West team. The 6-foot-3 target spent the first seven years of his career in Arizona (from 2013-17) and Seattle (2018-19). Brown, 30, worked out for the 49ers on Tuesday.
The 49ers’ receiving corps has encountered multiple setbacks, with a reported Jalen Hurd ACL tear following Deebo Samuel‘s offseason foot fracture. Still, the 49ers boast a crowded group. Brown, Austin and Nelson join the likes of first-round pick Brandon Aiyuk, Trent Taylor, Kendrick Bourne and 2018 second-rounder Dante Pettis. How the 49ers determine roles for their as-of-now Samuel-less operation will be interesting as the season approaches.
Brown saw action as a Seahawks auxiliary weapon in 14 games last season, catching 16 passes for 220 yards. His best season came in 2017 with the Cards, when he hauled in 31 passes for 477 yards.
49ers Work Out Jaron Brown
The 49ers are bringing wide receiver Jaron Brown in for an audition, as NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. Brown could serve as additional depth in the wake of Jalen Hurd’s suspected ACL tear.
[RELATED: 49ers To Sign Tavon Austin]
Hurd went down with a non-contact injury while practicing on Sunday. It’s yet another setback for the 2019 third-round pick, who missed his would-be rookie season with a back injury. The Niners, meanwhile, are looking thin at the position. Deebo Samuel will be out for a stretch with a Jones fracture in his foot and Travis Benjamin is out of the equation following his opt out.
The Niners added reinforcements by signing Tavon Austin and J.J. Nelson last week, but they could still use some more bodies. Brown, who has spent seven seasons in the NFC West between the Seahawks and Cardinals, could stay in comfortable territory for an eighth year. In 2019, Brown caught 16 passes for 220 yards and two scores. His best season came in 2017, when he registered 31 catches for 477 yards and four touchdowns with Arizona.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/17/20
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: QB Danny Etling
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on IR: DT Niles Scott
Carolina Panthers
- Claimed off waivers (from Dallas): DE Jalen Jelks
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived/Injured: RB Rodney Anderson
Houston Texans
- Activated off NFI: WR Kenny Stills (Sunday)
- Activated off PUP: LB Dylan Cole (Sunday)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Placed on IR: TE Josh Oliver
- Released from IR: DT Brian Price
Kansas City Chiefs
- Claimed: TE Daniel Helm (from 49ers)
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: OT Nick Kaltmayer (Sunday)
Minnesota Vikings
- Cut (injury designation): LB Quentin Poling
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL Ben Braden, TE Paul Butler, TE Alex Ellis
New York Jets
- Signed: TE Connor Davis
- Waived: S Anthony Cioffi
New York Giants
- Signed: DT Daylon Mack
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB/DE Jamal Davis II (Sunday)
49ers’ Spencer Long Retires
Last week, the 49ers signed Spencer Long to a one-year deal. This week, they placed the offensive lineman on the reserve/retired list, per a club announcement.
[RELATED: 49ers Sign Tavon Austin]
Long, 29, spent last season as a key reserve for the Bills. He was a surprise cut in early August, leading him to the Niners. His stint in SF lasted just three days, and he’s apparently walking away from the sport altogether.
Long came into the league with Washington as a third-round pick in 2014. After four seasons in D.C., he moved on to the Jets in 2018 before landing with the Bills last year. If this is the end fo the line for Long, he’ll leave the sport with 67 games played, including 44 starts at both center and left guard.
West Notes: Samuel, Chiefs, Broncos
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area says the 49ers seem to be expecting top wideout Deebo Samuel, who is recovering from surgery to correct the Jones fracture in his left foot, to miss the first six weeks of the 2020 season. Indeed, the club recently signed both Tavon Austin and JJ Nelson to fill out its WR depth chart.
But Samuel’s timetable may not be quite that long. Maiocco acknowledges that workout videos posted by the talented second-year pass catcher suggest he could return sooner, and head coach Kyle Shanahan is still hoping for a Week 1 return.
“Deebo’s going to do everything he can to be in shape, but it’s hard to be in football shape until you can play football,” Shanahan said (via Keiana Martin of the team’s official website). “So, how many practices do we get him in here before Arizona? That’s going to all go into play. I’m hoping for Week 1, but not sure yet. It’s still too early.”
Now for a quick roundup of several more West division items:
- In addition to the Austin and Nelson signings, the 49ers recently took a flier on TE Jordan Reed. As Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets, Reed’s one-year pact with San Francisco includes a $1.05MM base salary with up to $750K in playing time incentives.
- Chiefs CB Alex Brown suffered a torn ACL in Friday’s practice, as Brown himself noted on Instagram (via Nate Taylor of The Athletic on Twitter). Brown, a 2019 UDFA, spent time with the 49ers, Eagles, and Jets last summer before signing with KC’s practice squad. He got called up to the active roster in December and served as a special teams contributor down the stretch of the regular season and throughout the club’s Super Bowl run.
- Broncos TE Austin Fort is having an arthroscopic procedure on his knee and will miss some time, as Mike Klis of 9News.com tweets. It’s more tough luck for Fort, a 2019 UDFA who was impressing in training camp for Denver last summer before sustaining a season-ending ACL tear.
49ers To Sign Tavon Austin
The 49ers have signed wide receivers Tavon Austin and J.J. Nelson, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Both players will look to make the final cut as insurance for Deebo Samuel. Terms of the deals are not yet known, but they’re likely for the veteran minimum with little in the way of guarantees. 
Austin was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2013, but he has yet to justify his draft status. At the age of 30, it seems unlikely to happen now. Still, coaches continue to be tantalized by his speed. Austin, in theory, could contribute as a receiver, rusher, and returner.
Over seven injury-laden years in the NFL, Austin has caught 215 passes while averaging less than yards per catch. He did average more than 15 yards per grab over the last two seasons with the Cowboys, but that was in a super small sample size of 21 receptions. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan could get creative with Austin – as Sean McVay did in L.A. – and try him in a variety of spots.
Nelson posted back-to-back 500-yard seasons with the Cardinals in 2016 and 2017, but his offensive role has dwindled since then. In 2019, he had four grabs in 15 games for the Raiders.