Latest On Joshua Garnett
- The 49ers are exhibiting “growing concern” about guard Joshua Garnett‘s right knee injury, per a report from the Associated Press. Garnett, a first-round pick in the 2016 draft, missed the entire 2017 campaign after having surgery on the same knee, so the issue is doubly concerning. After Garnett reportedly banged knees with a teammate in late July, he was expected to return to practice this week, but his presence has been delayed. Garnett is competing for time at right guard — the only open spot on San Francisco’s offensive line — with Jonathan Cooper and Michael Person.
Arik Armstead Out Multiple Weeks
The 49ers saw a former first-round pick go down during camp as well. Here’s the latest from the NFC West:
- Arik Armstead missed much of the past two seasons because of an injury, and the 49ers‘ 2015 first-rounder’s now dealing with another one. A hamstring malady is expected to sideline Armstead for multiple weeks, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area notes. Armstead went on IR with a shoulder injury in 2016, and a broken hand ended his 2017 campaign. He also underwent foot surgery this offseason. The 49ers picked up Armstead’s $9MM 2019 option in May. He’s expected to remain a defensive end starter this season.
- Kyle Shanahan admitted he’s had doubts he made the right decision to convince John Lynch to trade up to select Joe Williams in the 2017 fourth round, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle notes. A Utah product who stepped away from football in college due to off-field issues, Williams did not impress the 49ers’ staff during 2017 training camp and has yet to play in a game. While Shanahan’s seen a stronger commitment from the second-year back this summer, Williams isn’t a roster lock. He’s competing with Raheem Mostert for the 49ers’ third-string running back job, behind Jerick McKinnon and Matt Breida, Branch adds.
- Before the 49ers made an offer to McKinnon, Kyle Juszczyk helped recruit him. The NFL’s highest-paid fullback began texting with the former Vikings backup running back during the winter, and once informed the 49ers were going after him, the team told Juszczyk to keep pushing with his recruitment, Juszczyk said (via Maiocco). McKinnon surprised many by fetching a four-year, $30MM contract, including his new fullback. “I don’t know if I knew he was going to be the top-paid running back in the market that year,” Juszczyk said. “But I figured he’d be a guy that we’d be interested in.”
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/31/18
Today’s minor moves:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OT Jamar McGloster
- Waived: OL Adam Bisnowaty
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: LB Otha Peters
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: WR Kendal Thompson
- Waived/Injured: WR Aaron Lacombe
New England Patriots
- Waived/Injured: TE/FB Shane Wimann
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: TE Wes Saxton
- Waived: CB C.J. Goodwin
2016 First Round Pick Garnett In Danger Of Being Cut
- Joshua Garnett could be cut by the 49ers writes Cam Inman of the Mercury News. Garnett was a first round pick in 2016, but didn’t play great as a rookie and missed all of last year with a knee injury. It’s always shocking if a first round pick is cut this soon, but it sounds like it’s a real possibility for Garnett, as the new regime in San Francisco has no ties to him.
49ers Sign Second-Round WR Dante Pettis
The 49ers have wrapped up their 2018 rookie class by inking second-round wide receiver Dante Pettis, the club announced tonight.
With Pettis under contract, only quarterback Sam Darnold of the Jets and linebacker Roquan Smith of the Bears unsigned, and offset language is likely holding up those deals. IT stands to figure both Darnold and Smith will reach deals in the near future, especially as their respective teams begin training camp this week.
Pettis, the 44th overall selection, had been the only second-round pick without a contract. According to Over the Cap, Pettis’ four-year deal should be worth roughly $6.4MM in total. Pettis will collect a ~$2.735MM signing bonus, and count for approximately $1.164MM on the Browns’ 2018 salary cap.
The 49ers have two clear starters at wideout in the form of Pierre Garcon and Marquise Goodwin, but there are no other serious impediments to Pettis seeing snaps on offense. He’s been learning every receiver spot in San Francisco’s offense, but he’ll likely see quite a bit of time in the slot now that Trent Taylor is starting training camp on the active/physically unable to perform list, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacrmento Bee.
Here’s a full recap of San Francisco’s draft class:
- 1-9: Mike McGlinchey, T (Notre Dame): Signed
- 2-44: Dante Pettis, WR (Washington)
- 3-70: Fred Warner, LB (BYU): Signed
- 3-95: Tarvarius Moore, S (Southern Mississippi): Signed
- 4-128: Kentavius Street, DE (North Carolina State): Signed
- 5-142: D.J. Reed, CB (Kansas State): Signed
- 6-184: Marcell Harris, S (Florida State): Signed
- 7-223: Jullian Taylor, DT (Temple): Signed
- 7-240: Richie James, WR (Middle Tennessee): Signed
Richard Sherman Collects Bonus
After passing his physical with the 49ers, cornerback Richard Sherman collected a $2MM bonus, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Not only did Sherman earn some extra cash, but he won’t have to begin training camp on the physically unable to perform list, a good sign after his 2017 campaign ended thanks to a torn Achilles. Sherman, 30, signed a three-year deal with San Francisco earlier this year, but the pact contained just $3MM in full guarantees. Sherman has now picked up an extra $2MM, and if he earns a spot on the 49ers’ roster (as fully expected), he’ll rake in a base salary of $2MM.
- Free agent receiver Dez Bryant has been linked — often by his own statements — to the 49ers this offseason, but general manager John Lynch today downplayed any interest his club might have in the pass-catching market. “We’re always looking to improve our team, but we’ve been pretty steadfast,” Lynch said, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link). “We like our receiver corps.” Bryant, for his part, said on Instagram that he’d like to play for the 49ers, while Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report indicated many league insiders believe Bryant will end up in San Francisco. The 49ers’ wideout depth chart is comprised of Pierre Garcon, Marquise Goodwin, second-round rookie Dante Pettis, and Trent Taylor, so they may not have room for Bryant, who is being considered by the Browns.
49ers Sign DTs Cedric Thornton, Will Sutton
The 49ers have signed defensive tackles Cedric Thornton and Will Sutton, as well as offensive lineman J.P. Flynn, the club announced today. In corresponding moves, San Francisco has cut defensive back Don Jones, offensive lineman Jamar McGloster, and defensive lineman Blaine Woodson.
Of the players involved in today’s transactions, Thornton boasts the longest NFL track record. A former three-year starter for the Eagles, Thornton signed a four-year deal with the Cowboys prior to the 2016 campaign but lasted only a single season. He latched on with the Bills just before the 2017 season got underway and ultimately appeared in 15 games, playing on roughly a third of Buffalo’s defensive snaps.
Sutton, meanwhile, is a former third-round pick of the Bears who flamed out after three seasons. Although he inked a deal with the Vikings last summer, Sutton didn’t make Minnesota’s initial 53-man roster and spent the rest of the year on the workout circuit. While he never did land a deal last year, Sutton is still only 26 years old.
The 49ers aren’t hurting for depth along their interior defense, as starters DeForest Buckner and Earl Mitchell are backed up by Chris Jones, Sheldon Day, and others, while end Arik Armstead can also play inside. Still, Thornton and/or Sutton could have an outside chance to make San Francisco’s roster if they perform well during training camp.
49ers Aim To Trade C.J. Beathard In Future
Despite Jimmy Garoppolo entering his 49ers training camp, he’s not expected to receive an abnormal workload this preseason. Even though Kyle Shanahan has cited the time it takes for quarterbacks to become sufficiently assimilated in his system, Matt Barrows of The Athletic notes (subscription required) backup C.J. Beathard is likely to receive most of the reps during preseason games. The 49ers figure to have an ulterior motive by doing this, with Barrows writing San Francisco will want to trade Beathard for draft compensation at some point before his rookie contract expires. They will be intent on showcasing the 2017 third-rounder as much as possible as a result. The Iowa product completed 54.9 percent of his passes, with four TDs and six INTs, as a rookie before Garoppolo supplanted him as the Niners’ starter.
Only Seven Unsigned NFL Draft Picks Remain
The overwhelming majority of this year’s NFL draft picks have signed their rookies deals. As training camp gets started, only the following seven players are without contracts:
- Browns, 1-1: Baker Mayfield, QB (Oklahoma)
- Jets, 1-3: Sam Darnold, QB (USC)
- Browns, 1-4: Denzel Ward, CB (Ohio State)
- Bills, 1-7: Josh Allen, QB (Wyoming)
- Bears, 1-8: Roquan Smith, LB (Georgia)
- Steelers, 1-28: Terrell Edmunds, S (Virginia Tech)
- 49ers, 2-44: Dante Pettis, WR (Washington)
For Mayfield, Darnold, Ward, Allen, and Smith, the holdup is reportedly tied to offset language. Players with offset language who are cut before the end of their rookie contract have the remaining guaranteed money reduced by whatever they earns elsewhere. Without offset language, players get to double dip. Top 10 picks expect to complete their rookie contracts, but it’s an important issue for agents nonetheless. There’s no sign of real acrimony between any of the Top 10 picks and their respective teams, though Smith has been staying away from the Bears.
In Edmunds’ case, it’s likely that his agent is haggling over guarantees in the fourth year of his rookie contract. First-rounders selected near the end of the first round often don’t get the entirety of their fourth season base salary guaranteed, but that’s an area where agents can press for a bit extra in talks. Seahawks rookie running back Rashaad Penny took less in fourth-year guarantees than last year’s No. 27 overall pick, talks dragged for several other players near the back end of the round. Others, such as Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley and Jaguars defensive tackle Taven Bryan have signed, but the Virginia Tech product is still in limbo.
Pettis is believed to be in line for a significant role this season, so it would behoove the Niners to get a deal done sooner rather than later.
49ers Agree To Terms With Mike McGlinchey
Mike McGlinchey is expected to start at right tackle as a rookie, and the 49ers will have him in camp.
The parties agreed to terms on McGlinchey’s four-year, fully guaranteed $18.341MM rookie contract (with the customary fifth-year option) Sunday night, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
This leaves just seven unsigned draft choices. One of those is San Francisco second-round wide receiver Dante Pettis, the only non-first-round pick left unsigned. After first-rounders McGlinchey, Saquon Barkley and Sony Michel agreed to terms Sunday, still unsigned are Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Denzel Ward, Josh Allen, Roquan Smith and Terrell Edmunds.
Offset language is believed to be holding up most of these deals, with CAA clients (which McGlinchey is) primarily residing as the stragglers, but the Notre Dame product will begin working with his fellow rookies (non-Pettis contingent, for now) this week. The 49ers traded Trent Brown to the Patriots, clearing the way for McGlinchey to move into the starting lineup opposite Joe Staley.
The 49ers begin camp Wednesday. McGlinchey started 13 games as the Fighting Irish’s right tackle in 2015 before shifting to the left side, where the 6-foot-7 blocker blossomed into one of the top prospects in this year’s class.