49ers Claim Taylor Hart From Eagles, Waive L.J. McCray
The 49ers have claimed defensive tackle Taylor Hart off waivers from the Eagles, according to Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area (Twitter link). Additionally, San Francisco has waived safety L.J. McCray.
Hart joins Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner as the third 49ers defensive lineman who attended Oregon, where new head coach Chip Kelly was at the helm from 2009-12. Hart played under Kelly during the latter’s final three seasons with the Ducks and then reunited with Kelly in Philadelphia. The Eagles chose Hart in the fifth round of the 2014 draft, but he didn’t debut until last season. In 14 games (one start), Hart tallied 27 tackles.
San Francisco had a deal in place over the weekend to send McCray to the NFC West rival Seahawks for a late-round pick in 2018, but it fell through after he failed a physical. As a result, the 49ers won’t get anything for McCray, an undrafted free agent in 2014 who appeared in 22 games with the club.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
49ers Release Bruce Miller
2:10pm: The 49ers have released Miller, according Maiocco (via Twitter).
Miller was set to earn $1.25MM this upcoming season. The fullback had a cap hit of $1.9MM, and his release will likely leave $893K of dead cap.
Peter Hockaday and Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle note that Miller was arrested “on aggravated assault and elder abuse charges.” Barrows adds (via Twitter) that other charges include “threats and battery.”
12:50am: 49ers tight end/fullback Bruce Miller was arrested for assault on Monday morning, according to KTVU.com. The 29-year-old was arrested in San Francisco following an incident at the Fisherman’s Wharf Marriott Hotel.
“The San Francisco 49ers organization is aware of the media report regarding Bruce Miller,” the team said in statement (via Matt Maiocco on Twitter). “We are gathering the relevant facts of this matter and will continue to monitor the situation.
Reports indicate that Miller was told the hotel was full on Sunday evening, but the five-year veteran returned early on Monday morning and knocked on a guest’s door. When Miller was informed that he had the wrong room, he attacked both the guest and the guest’s father. A 70-year-old man was reportedly punched in the face and suffered broken bones during the incident. Miller fled, but he was apprehended and arrested early this morning.
Miller was arrested in 2015 for spousal battery, as Matt Barrows of SacBee.com notes. The fullback was ultimately charged with misdemeanor vandalism.
A former seventh-round pick, Miller has only missed three games during his five-year career. The versatile offensive weapon has 76 career receptions, including 10 last season for 135 yards. Miller also has 28 career rushes. Roster Resource has Miller slotted in as the team’s third tight end.
49ers Sign DuJuan Harris, Place Will Redmond On IR
After being released by the team last week, DuJuan Harris is back with the 49ers. ESPN’s Adam Caplan tweets that the running back has re-signed with San Francisco. To make room on the roster, the team has placed cornerback Will Redmond on the injured reserve. Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com tweets that Redmond will be eligible to return later this season.
Harris has bounced around the league since going undrafted out of Troy in 2011. The running back split the 2015 season between the 49ers and the Seahawks, compiling 189 yards on 48 carries. The 28-year-old has averaged 4.2-yards-per-carry throughout his career, and he’s also hauled in 13 career receptions (including nine in 2015).
Redmond, a third-round pick out of Mississippi State, tore his ACL last October. The defensive back showed plenty of talent while in college, but the 49ers still weren’t convinced that he was fully healthy.
49ers Acquire Rod Streater, Trim Roster To 53
12:25pm: Maiocco tweets that McCray is likely to be placed on waivers following the failed trade.
MONDAY, 9:40am: McCray reportedly failed his physical, and NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo indicates (via Twitter) that the deal is off. The safety was originally traded to the Seahawks for a conditional seventh-round draft pick in 2018.
The safety is set to go back to the 49ers for the time being. Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle notes (via Twitter) that McCray is recovering from a torn ACL and is likely to be released.
SUNDAY, 5:30pm: The wideout announced that he’s officially been dealt to the 49ers, while CSNBayArea.com’s Matt Maiocco tweets that Streater presumably passed his physical.
SATURDAY, 4:14pm: The 49ers announced they they’ve acquired wide receiver Rod Streater from the Chiefs. Streater had spent his career in Oakland before signing with Kansas City, and now he’ll head back to the Bay Area with a chance to make an impact in a depleted WR corps.
San Francisco also announced that they’ve traded safety L.J. McCray to the Seahawks. The compensation involved in both deals has not been announced.
Cut:
- DL Garrison Smith (Twitter link via Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area)
- DL B.J. McBryde (Twitter link via Maiocco)
- DT Demetrius Cherry (Twitter link via Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee)
- LB Corey Lemonier (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com)
- WR Devon Cajuste (Twitter link via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle)
- RB Kelvin Taylor (Twitter link via Schefter)
- TE Je’Ron Hamm (Twitter link via Branch)
- LB Shayne Skov (Twitter link via Branch)
- OT Colin Kelly (Twitter link via Maiocco)
- WR Dres Anderson
- OL Alex Balducci
- OL Fahn Cooper
- QB Jeff Driskel
- RB DuJuan Harris
- CB Prince Charles Iworah
- OL Norman Price
- LB Marcus Rush
- WR Bryce Treggs
- WR Ryan Whalen
- WR DeAndrew White
Lemonier was the 49ers’ third-round pick in 2013, but he never made much of an impact in San Francisco. In 42 games (two starts), Lemonier picked up 37 tackles and a sack.
Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC West
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC West teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Cardinals, Rams, 49ers, and Seahawks are noted below.
Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed to practice squad:
- WR Chris Hubert (Link via Aaron Wilson)
- QB Aaron Murray (Link via Adam Schefter)
- QB Zac Dysert (Link via Adam Schefter)
- CB Harlan Miller (Link via Rand Getlin)
- TE Ifeanyi Momah
- LB Shaq Riddick
- RB Elijhaa Penny
- TE Hakeem Valles
- T Givens Price
- WR Brittan Golden
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed to practice squad
- T Isaiah Battle (Link via Vincent Bonsignore)
- CB Blake Countess (Link via Aaron Wilson)
- WR Paul McRoberts (Link via Jim Thomas)
- RB Aaron Green (Link via Thomas)
- RB Terrance Magee (Link via Thomas)
- LB Brandon Chubb (Link via Myles Simmons)
- DL Morgan Fox (Link via Simmons)
- DB Michael Jordan (Link via Simmons)
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed to practice squad:
- LB Marcus Rush (Link via Rand Getlin)
- LB Shayne Skov (Link via Eric Branch)
- WR Dres Anderson
- OL Fahn Cooper
- RB Kelvin Taylor
- OL Alex Balducci
- TE Je’Ron Hamm
- CB Prince Charles Iworah
- OL Norman Price
- WR Chris Harper
Seattle Seahawks
- Claimed:
- DL Garrison Smith (Link via David Canter)
- Waived:
- DL Justin Hamilton (Link via Bob Condotta)
- Signed to practice squad:
- DT Tylor Harris (Link via Aaron Wilson)
- TE Marcus Lucas (Link via Joe Person)
- G Robert Myers (Link via Wilson)
- LB Jordan Tripp (Link via Wilson)
- WR Kasen Williams (Link via Wilson)
- WR Kenny Lawler (Link via Sheil Kapadia)
- LB Kache Palacio (Link via Sheil Kapadia)
- OL Will Pericak (Link via Sheil Kapadia)
- WR Rodney Smith (Link via Sheil Kapadia)
Waiver Wire Priority For All 32 NFL Teams
Yesterday was the 53-man roster deadline, but the madness will continue today as teams pick through the waiver pile for talented discards. Priority is dictated by the reverse standings with tiebreakers where necessary, which is to say that it will be the same as the 2016 draft order before all the trades. Unlike your fantasy league’s waiver wire, a team does not go to the back of the list upon making a successful claim. That means that the league’s worst teams from 2015 have a significant advantage today as they make late roster additions.
Here is the complete waiver priority order:
1. Titans
2. Browns
3. Chargers
4. Cowboys
5. Jaguars
6. Ravens
7. 49ers
8. Dolphins
9. Buccaneers
10. Giants
11. Bears
12. Saints
13. Eagles
14. Raiders
15. Rams
16. Lions
17. Falcons
18. Colts
19. Bills
20. Jets
21. Redskins
22. Texans
23. Vikings
24. Bengals
25. Seahawks
26. Packers
27. Steelers
28. Chiefs
29. Patriots
30. Cardinals
31. Panthers
32. Broncos
Detail On 49ers' Trades
The Sam Bradford trade got all the headlines today, but there were actually three smaller deals that were also consummated in the past twelve hours, and we’ve now learned the details about the returns. The Seahawks gave up a conditional 2017 seventh-rounder to acquire safety Dewey McDonald from the Raiders, and a conditional 2018 seventh-rounder to pick up safety L.J. McCray from the 49ers, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Meanwhile — and this might be a first — the Chiefs and 49ers have agreed to swap conditional 2019 seventh-round picks as part of the trade that sent wide receiver Rod Streater to San Francisco, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link).
49ers Name Blaine Gabbert Starting QB
The 49ers quarterback competition has seemingly been wrapped up for more than a month, but the team only finalized its QB depth chart today. Blaine Gabbert will start for the team in Week 1, according to a team announcement. 
[RELATED: Colin Kaepernick To Make Niners’ Roster]
Last year, Gabbert started in eight games for the Niners and posted a 3-5 record. Of course, the team’s troubles in 2015 went far beyond the quarterback position. When looking specifically at Gabbert’s performance, team brass liked what they saw. The No. 10 overall pick in the 2011 draft completed 63% of his passes (a career-high) and threw for 2,031 yards with 10 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.
This offseason, coach Chip Kelly told everyone that it would be an open competition at quarterback, but it was widely believed that Gabbert already had it in the bag. Not only was Colin Kaepernick coming back from surgery on his left shoulder in November, but he has also been battling tightness in his right shoulder. Also, when Kelly got the job early on in the offseason, he went several weeks without reaching out to No. 7. Regardless, the 49ers are slated to have one expensive backup in Kaepernick as he is scheduled to earn $11.9MM this year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Lions Trim Roster To 53
The Lions have released offensive lineman Brandon Thomas, as Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets. Thomas came to Detroit in the Jeremy Kerley trade earlier this week. 
Thomas, a former third-round pick, has never taken a snap in the NFL. He missed his entire rookie season in 2014 while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in college, and didn’t appear in a game during his sophomore campaign. Thomas wasn’t need in the Bay Area given that Anthony Davis has come out of retirement and shifted to guard and he apparently wasn’t wanted in Detroit either.
Thomas obviously wasn’t the Lions’ only victim of cut day. Cuts include:
- RB George Winn (Twitter link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com)
- S Isaiah Johnson (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press)
- WR Jace Billingsley (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press)
- WR T.J. Jones (Twitter link via Justin Rogers of the Detroit News)
- LB Khaseem Greene (Twitter link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com)
- OL Gabe Ikard (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- OL Brandon Thomas (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- QB Jake Rudock (link via Birkett)
- Ol Michael Ola (link via Rothstein)
- TE Adam Fuehne (link via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
- CB Alex Carter
- WR Quinshad Davis
- LB Jayson DiManche
- LB Zaviar Gooden
- C Gabe Ikard
- WR Jay Lee
- T Luke Marquardt
- DT Caraun Reid
- DB Charles Washington
- DT Gabe Wright
- C Lemuel Jeanpierre
- CB Darrin Walls
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Colin Kaepernick Likely To Make 49ers’ Roster
The 49ers will have some tough choices to make as they cut down to 53, but it sounds like they won’t be wrestling over what to do with Colin Kaepernick. The controversial quarterback is likely to survive tomorrow’s cut deadline, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Kaepernick has been making headlines for unexpected reasons as of late and he lost his starting job to Blaine Gabbert long ago, even if coach Chip Kelly won’t admit to it publicly. There were rumblings that Kaepernick had fallen behind both offseason pick Christian Ponder and sixth-round rookie Jeff Driskel in the eyes of coaches, but that is apparently not the case. Kaepernick has cemented himself as one of the better QBs on San Francisco’s roster and should remain there for the start of the season.
Kaepernick is due to make $11.9MM via fully guaranteed base salary this season, so dropping him wouldn’t save SF any money. The Niners entertained trade offers for Kaepernick this offseason, including a long flirtation with the Broncos, but they never found a suitable deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.