49ers To Bring Back S Tracy Walker
With Talanoa Hufanga uncertain to start the season on time, the 49ers will retain some insurance. They are bringing back veteran Tracy Walker.
The 49ers released the former Lions starter Tuesday, but ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports the sides are reuniting with the aim of a Week 1 role. Walker is set to be elevated from the practice squad in time for the 49ers’ opener against the Jets.
A six-year Lions contributor, Walker joined the 49ers during training camp. The 49ers kept Hufanga, 2023 third-rounder Ji’Ayir Brown, rookie fourth-rounder Malik Mustapha and veteran special-teamer George Odum at safety. Walker being eyed for Week 1 suggests the 49ers do not expect Hufanga back in time to face the Jets.
Hufanga is returning from an ACL tear sustained on Thanksgiving night. He had targeted a return during training camp, but that did not come to pass. The 49ers considered stashing the contract-year standout on their reserve/PUP list, but the team kept him in its pre-Week 5 plans instead.
Walker made 43 starts with the Lions, being demoted last season. Detroit moved on via release in February, and Walker did not resurface with a team for nearly six months. The 49ers look to have a clear role in mind for the 29-year-old defender, whose active-roster status may well be tied to Hufanga’s recovery timetable.
2024 NFL Waiver Order
Waiver claims can begin coming in at 11am CT. While the waiver order will depend on 2024 records in several weeks, teams’ 2023 finishes currently determine it. Here is how the waiver priority list stacks up heading into today’s round of claims:
- Carolina Panthers
- Washington Commanders
- New England Patriots
- Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles Chargers
- New York Giants
- Tennessee Titans
- Atlanta Falcons
- Chicago Bears
- New York Jets
- Minnesota Vikings
- Denver Broncos
- Las Vegas Raiders
- New Orleans Saints
- Indianapolis Colts
- Seattle Seahawks
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Los Angeles Rams
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Miami Dolphins
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Cleveland Browns
- Dallas Cowboys
- Green Bay Packers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Houston Texans
- Buffalo Bills
- Detroit Lions
- Baltimore Ravens
- San Francisco 49ers
- Kansas City Chiefs
49ers Activate Talanoa Hufanga, Move Roster To 53
Two 49ers remain out out of the mix (but definitely not out of headlines, in Brandon Aiyuk‘s case), though both standouts are still employed by the team. Though, Trent Williams remains on the reserve/did not report list. Here is how the defending NFC champs pared their roster to 53 by today’s deadline:
Released:
- OL Ben Bartch
- WR Robbie Chosen
- OL Chris Hubbard
- DL T.Y. McGill
- OL Brandon Parker
- TE Eric Saubert
- WR Trent Taylor
- TE Logan Thomas
- S Tracy Walker
- DL Nick Williams
- CB Rock Ya-Sin
Waived:
- OL Isaac Alarcon
- DL Evan Anderson
- DL Alex Barrett
- DL Shakel Brown
- DL Jonathan Garvin
- LB Jalen Graham
- WR Danny Gray
- OL Sebastian Gutierrez
- OL Jarrett Kingston
- TE Cameron Latu
- CB Chase Lucas
- S Jaylen Mahoney
- WR Tay Martin
- QB Tanner Mordecai
- OL Drake Nugent
- TE Mason Pline
- RB Cody Schrader
- TE Brayden Willis
- CB Samuel Womack
Activated from active/PUP list:
Placed on IR (return designation):
- DL Kalia Davis
Placed on reserve/PUP list:
- LB Dre Greenlaw
Hufanga’s status represents a positive development for a 49ers team in need of them. The All-Pro safety had been rumored to join Greenlaw on the reserve/PUP list. Avoiding it does not guarantee Hufanga will be ready for Week 1, but it keeps the fourth-year defender in the equation for the 49ers’ first four games. They are choosing to carry Hufanga on the 53-man roster and go week-to-week with him. This undoubtedly led to Walker being moved off the roster.
Conversely, Mitchell’s time with the team may be over. San Francisco surprised most by vaulting the 2021 sixth-round pick into a starting role to open that season, dropping Trey Sermon to a backup spot. Mitchell operated as San Francisco’s preferred starter — as long as he was healthy, which was sporadic — until the October 2022 Christian McCaffrey trade. The 49ers now have Jordan Mason and rookie Isaac Guerendo as CMC backups.
A hamstring injury has sidelined Mitchell, potentially opening the door to an injury settlement. Davis will be able to return this season for the 49ers; Mitchell’s designation would prevent that. The 49ers are down to seven IR activations as a result of the Davis decision. A 2022 sixth-round pick, Davis remains in the team’s plans despite injuries largely keeping him out of action. Davis has played just three NFL games, and he suffered another injury — a knee issue requiring surgery — during camp.
The 49ers, who will bring many of these players back to the practice squad, cut two recent third-round picks — Gray and Latu. The latter has not played yet as a pro, missing his entire rookie season with an ACL tear. Gray has been unable to carve out a role on a 49ers team that has seen Jauan Jennings stick as the team’s WR3; rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing are also in the mix now.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/26/24
There have been plenty of posts today about a number of teams releasing and waiving players ahead of roster cuts. Here are the best of the rest of the minor moves for Monday:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived (with injury settlement): WR Tayvion Robinson
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: DE Justin Blazek
Cleveland Browns
- Activated from active/PUP list: S D’Anthony Bell
Detroit Lions
- Waived: OLB Mitchell Agude, WR Kaden Davis, OL Bryan Hudson, RB Zonovan Knight, CB Rachad Wildgoose, TE Shane Zylstra
- Released: DL Pat O’Connor, LB Ty Summers
Houston Texans
- Released: DT McTelvin Agim, G Dieter Eiselen, LB Jacob Phillips
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: DE Levi Bell
- Released: C Mike Panasiuk
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: CB Demarcus Governor
New York Giants
- Released: T Matt Nelson
New York Jets
- Waived: DT Jaylen Twyman
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived (with injury settlement): S Mekhi Garner
- Waived: S Andre’ Sam
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: T Tyler Beach, WR Jacob Copeland, RB Daijun Edwards, T Devery Hamilton, T Anderson Hardy, CB Kyler McMichael, DE Marquiss Spencer, CB Kiondre Thomas
- Released: LB Kyahva Tezino, K Matthew Wright
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: P Pressley Harvin III, G Lewis Kidd, WR Jontre Kirklin
- Released: RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: CB Willie Roberts
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: DT C.J. Brewer, DL Mike Greene, CB Keenan Isaac, OLB Daniel Grzesiak, CB Chris McDonald, TE Tanner Taula, S Rashad Wisdom
Tennessee Titans
- Waived (with injury designation): LB JoJo Domann, WR Tre’Shaun Harrison
- Waived: T Brian Dooley, CB Tay Gowan, LB Mikel Jones, LB Thomas Rush, WR Sam Schnee, TE Steven Stilianos, P Ty Zentner
Nelson was an effective swing tackle for the Lions in the past three years. While he wasn’t able to stick with the Giants, he’s likely to draw interest elsewhere in the NFL.
The Eagles like Sam a lot at safety, but with a number of veterans atop the depth chart, there wasn’t room for him on the roster. The team plans to retain him on the practice squad should he clear waivers, per Andrew DiCecco of 975 The Fanatic. The Buccaneers have similar plans with Isaac, Taula, and Wisdom.
49ers To Release RB Matt Breida
Matt Breida‘s second 49ers stint will not see him make the 53-man roster. The veteran running back is being released, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. 
Breida began his career in San Francisco, averaging five yards per carry and scoring 10 total touchdowns from 2017-19. That spell was followed by one-year stints in Miami and Buffalo where he logged a special teams workload in addition to backup offensive duties. The former UDFA spent the past two seasons with the Giants before returning to the Bay Area as a free agent earlier this month.
That signing came as fourth-round rookie Isaac Guerendo was dealing with a hamstring injury. Today’s move is a positive sign Guerendo is in better shape from a health perspective, though, and he will be one of many backup options available to the 49ers at the start of the campaign. Christian McCaffrey is set atop the depth chart, and the likes of Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason are also in place as depth.
Breida, 29, has never logged more than 153 carries in a season, and that figure dates back to 2018. He has nevertheless proven himself to be a solid depth contributor in several backfields, so he could draw interest in free agency. On the other hand, a number of players at all positions will available over the coming days, and several running backs with a notable track record will no doubt be let go.
As a vested veteran, Breida will not need to hit the waiver wire upon being let go. That will give him a slight head start on finding a new team, but it would come as a surprise if teams showed immediate interest before sorting out their own depth charts this week. Of course, the Georgia Southern alum will be a candidate for the practice squad if San Francisco elects to keep him in the fold and no outside suitors offer him a 53-man roster spot in the next few days.
NFL Injury Updates: Hill, Horne, Cook, Magee, 49ers
As the preseason comes to a close, a number of teams experienced the scares of a worst-case scenario for most players: getting injured just before the team makes final roster decisions. Some ended up being that worst-case scenario, while others lucked out with minor ailments.
Texans safety Brandon Hill was one such player who experienced a worst-case scenario this weekend. In Houston’s final preseason game against the Rams, Hill suffered a significant knee injury, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. The injury will be enough to end Hill’s 2024 season before it even got a chance to begin.
A seventh-round pick out of Pittsburgh last year, Hill only appeared in two games. With much of the same cast from last year returning in 2024, he wasn’t likely to see much more time on the field, but his loss thins out the team’s depth at safety and certainly ends his chances of being on the 53-man roster.
Here are a few other injury updates from around the NFL:
- Per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, Giants defensive tackle Timmy Horne is also likely to miss the 2024 season. The third-year player out of Kansas State suffered a tear to his Achilles tendon that will keep him out for the year. Horne came to New York late last year after spending most of his first two seasons in the league with the Falcons. He started five games as an undrafted rookie in 2022 but has been a depth piece ever since.
- The Steelers continue dealing with some bumps and bruises along the offensive line. After seeing rookie first-round tackle Troy Fautanu suffer an MCL sprain two weeks ago and center Nate Herbig tear his rotator cuff, the latest bump hits key reserve lineman Dylan Cook, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Pittsburgh picked Cook up after he was waived by the Buccaneers last offseason and, while he made the team’s final 53-man roster in 2023, he didn’t ever appear in a game. With the recent foot injury, it looks like Cook will have to wait several more weeks before he can make his NFL- and Steelers-debut.
- Another player who avoided the worst-case scenario but who is set to miss a decent amount of time is Commanders middle linebacker Jordan Magee. According to John Keim of ESPN, the fifth-round rookie out of Temple had an MCL injury that required a “procedure.” It’s been confirmed that the injury is not season-ending and that he will return at some point this season. Washington has a bit of depth at linebacker, but Magee was the only player listed behind veteran Bobby Wagner in that Mike-role.
- Lastly, we finally got an update on the MRI results of 49ers pass rushers Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos. Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reported late after Friday’s contest that the two had suffered knee sprains that didn’t result in ACL damage, but MRIs were scheduled for both players to be sure. The Athletic’s Matt Barrows was the one to provide an update today, claiming that, following the MRIs scheduled for yesterday, Floyd has been determined as day-to-day, while Gross-Matos will be week-to-week.
Latest On WR Contracts
The regular season draws ever nearer, and there are still three receivers who are waiting for new contracts. Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk are still holding out from team activities, while Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is continuing with his hold-in. 
Lamb is entering the final year of his rookie contract on a fifth-year option and, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the 25-year-old is angling for a contract to rival Justin Jefferson‘s recent deal in Minnesota. This doesn’t necessarily refer to annual average value, but focuses, as well, on guarantees, cashflow, and overall structure. Dallas and Lamb are expected to communicate this weekend as they attempt to get this extension over the finish line.
Chase is still not practicing as he attends team events in Cincinnati. The Bengals have exercised Chase’s fifth-year option, so the 24-year-old still has two years left on his rookie deal. While he hopes to enter the season with a new extension, his former LSU teammate, Jefferson, had to wait until after his fourth NFL season to secure his bag. It’s looking like the same might be true for Chase, but if that’s the case, Cincinnati needs to figure out a way to get Chase on the field and ready for the fast-approaching regular season. Mike Garafolo of NFL Network sees this coming week as a crucial time for the team to navigate this situation.
With Aiyuk, the rumors continue to swirl and paint an unreliable picture. Last night, in an interview on KNBR, Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle claimed that “everything is still on the table, including all the trades you’ve heard about.” He noted the Steelers and Commanders as teams not to rule out but left the picture as cloudy as ever.
After the team’s initial contract offer fell short of expectations, they attempted to bring Aiyuk back in to try and close the gap. Garafolo reports that the two sides don’t seem to be that far apart on contract figures anymore, and Aiyuk even traveled with the 49ers to their final preseason game in Las Vegas. While this may be a sign of good faith and a sign that the things could be on their way to a resolution, Silver’s comments still leave plenty of room for doubt.
The NFL season starts in 13 days. In order for these three receivers to be on the field for Week 1, they’re either going to need to have new contracts in hand or they’re going to need to come to terms with the fact that they’re going to be playing under their current deals with no guarantee that they won’t be testing free agency in the future. While most teams prefer not to have contract discussions during the regular season, there’s always a possibility that close negotiations bleed over a bit into September and deals are reached midseason.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/23/24
Friday’s minor transactions to wrap up the week:
Carolina Panthers
- Reverted to IR: T Badara Traore
Chicago Bears
- Waived (with injury settlement): DE Khalid Kareem
- Released (with injury settlement): WR Freddie Swain
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: K Lucas Havrisik
Detroit Lions
- Released (with injury settlement): LB Malik Jefferson
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived (with injury settlement): G Josh Sills
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived (with injury settlement): WR Jaaron Hayek
Minnesota Vikings
- Reverted to IR: TE Trey Knox
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB Andrew Dowell, DT Camron Peterson
- Waived (with injury designation): DE Trajan Jeffcoat
- Waived: CB Kaleb Ford-Dement
San Francisco 49ers
- Reverted to IR: S Tayler Hawkins
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Willie Roberts
- Waived (with injury settlement): DT Nathan Pickering
Washington Commanders
- Signed: C Cameron Tom
- Released: C J.C. Hassenauer
49ers Re-Sign TE Logan Thomas
Teams typically welcome back discarded veterans after roster-cutdown day, upon completing necessary roster gymnastics. The 49ers, however, will reunite with Logan Thomas before that point.
The defending NFC champions brought back the veteran tight end on another one-year deal Thursday. San Francisco waived safety Tayler Hawkins from their 90-man roster to make room for the returning Thomas. A former UDFA, Hawkins has one NFL game under his belt — a Week 18 start for the 49ers last season.
The 49ers cut Thomas on August 9, so he will have ended up missing roughly two weeks of practice. Given the team’s decision to move on early in camp, it should not be considered a lock Thomas will end up on San Francisco’s 53-man roster. That said, the longtime Washington pass catcher could be a candidate for the practice squad, seeing as he was available for two weeks and is back with the 49ers. Teams are allotted six spots for vested veterans on their 16-man P-squads.
Thomas has been cut twice this year, with the Commanders jettisoning a more lucrative contract (three years, $24MM) compared to the 49ers, who had signed him to a one-year, $1.21MM deal ($300K guaranteed) contract in June. The converted quarterback started 49 games for the Commanders from 2020-23, posting 670 receiving yards in 2020 — to set up a Washington extension — and 496 last season. Thomas added four TDs in Eric Bieniemy‘s offense. The new Commanders regime bailed, however. Thomas, 33, is well removed from the November 2021 ACL tear that sidetracked his Washington stay.
San Francisco has George Kittle signed through the 2025 season, and while the team lost Charlie Woerner and Ross Dwelley (both to the Falcons), veteran Eric Saubert and 2023 draftees Cameron Latu and Brayden Willis are on the roster. Jake Tonges, a 2022 Bears UDFA, and rookie undrafted player Mason Pline round out the 49ers’ tight end room. Teams typically keep three or four TEs, outlining where San Francisco will be at this point next week.
Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers Making Progress On Deal; Ownership Involved
AUGUST 22: During a Thursday appearance on KNBR radio, Lynch noted the potential for CeeDee Lamb and Ja’Marr Chase to further alter the receiver market on Cowboys and Bengals extensions, respectively (h/t Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle). Each of those pacts will likely check in at a rate above $30MM per season, although Cincinnati appears to be willing to wait until 2025 in Chase’s case.
Further upward movement in the market would likely boost Aiyuk’s asking price, but meeting the 49ers’ goal of finalizing a pact would eliminate that possibility. With other big-ticket deals on the books (and another on the way in the form of Brock Purdy), Lynch confirmed the team’s other commitments is another factor complicating an Aiyuk deal. Efforts to keep him – not to mention Trent Williams – in the fold continue.
AUGUST 20: Brandon Aiyuk continues to drift farther away from the Steelers’ grasp. The would-be trade candidate went through another meeting with 49ers brass. The sides are making progress toward an extension, according to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz.
This endless saga has produced multiple consequential meetings — a midsummer summit Aiyuk requested and an early-August powwow that seemed to come after a Steelers extension offer did not meet the receiver’s expectations — and this Monday effort can perhaps be added here. Aiyuk’s hold-in persists, but positive signs are emerging for the 49ers.
[RELATED: John Lynch Aiming For Aiyuk To Stay On Long-Term Deal]
Although the 49ers have trade parameters in place with the Steelers, they are believed to have upped their offer from where it was around notable meeting No. 1 ($26-$27MM per year). The sides are believed to be in agreement on the major deal points, but Schultz adds the minor details are going up to the ownership level. The 49ers have managed to strike late-summer deals with George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Jimmy Garoppolo and Nick Bosa during the 2020s. While Bosa scored a defender-record contract, Aiyuk is driving a hard bargain in his own right. That led to the trade talks, though those have steadily dissipated.
It is worth wondering if the Bears’ recent D.J. Moore extension helped lock in a price point for the 49ers and Aiyuk. The Bears gave Moore a $27.5MM-per-year extension that included $82.6MM in total guarantees. While the former Panthers first-rounder has a longer track record of consistency, Aiyuk nearly topped Moore’s career-best receiving yardage total (1,364) on far fewer targets. Aiyuk, who is one year younger than Moore (at 26), reached 1,342 yards on just 105 targets. Moore is currently the NFL’s seventh-highest-paid receiver; it is difficult to envision this arduous Aiyuk process finalizing without the 49ers topping that.
Aiyuk’s efficient 2023 has prompted the 49ers wideout to seek terms near the top of the ballooning WR market. While Aiyuk has not been tied to an ask too close to Justin Jefferson‘s $35MM-per-year record number, he has sought an AAV around Amon-Ra St. Brown‘s $30.01MM mark and guarantees in A.J. Brown territory ($84MM).
The Steelers’ offer coming in below $28MM per year appears to have sent Aiyuk back to negotiating with the 49ers, who have reengaged in serious talks for several days now. Pittsburgh not including any veteran players in its proposal, thus not helping a 2024 49ers team aiming to complete its long-held championship pursuit under Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, has hurt the AFC North team’s cause as well. But Aiyuk did not show much interest in joining the Patriots or Browns, leaving the Steelers as the alternative to a long-term 49ers future.
A league source recently expressed surprise (via veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson) that Aiyuk did not show interest in a Patriots offer believed to be worth up to $32MM per year and feature a strong Year 1 payout. The 49ers, however, feature a setup Aiyuk has proven he can thrive in, and the receiver appears to hold Mike Tomlin in high enough regard it is viewed as a drawing card for the fifth-year wideout. For now, an Aiyuk-to-Pittsburgh reality is losing steam fast — as the 49ers try to complete an extension they have been at work on for several months.