San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula spoke to the media today to discuss the team's week and their upcoming game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
As far as injuries go, as expected, neither
LB Michael Wilhoite nor
LG Alex Boone will play on Sunday.
WR Torrey Smith will return to practice today. He has been recovering from back issues and the team plans to continue evaluating him. "We'll know more after practice," Tomsula said. Tomsula also stated that factors like Smith's streak of playing in games does not factor into any discussions. "The target was to get him out on the field today," he added.
TE Vance McDonald has been cleared from the concussion protocol and will likely play on Sunday. He missed Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns.
LB Aaron Lynch is still in the concussion protocol but he has practiced all week. He has been going through the same drills as everyone else, but has worn a blue no-contact jersey.
As far as the team's offensive struggles, Tomsula said, "There's a long list of excuses that we can grab." However, he believes that the team has seen some things improve, including individual players.
"We have to be able to finish each others' sentences," Tomsula said when asked about the 49ers' 31st ranked run defense, a far cry from previous years.
Regarding offensive coordinator
Geep Chryst, Tomsula stated, "I think Geep does a nice job, I think Geep does a good job." He went on to cite
QB Blaine Gabbert's progress as evidence of that.
Despite being eliminated from the playoffs, Tomsula stated that he does not have to motivate his players to go out and play for something. That's not what he does and that's the type of locker room that they have according to the head coach. As has been a trend during his press conferences, he stated that the team just needs to continue their good practices into Sundays. They have failed to do that. "We've got to carry the week into the game," said Tomsula.
You will continue to see
Tank Carradine get more opportunities. After losing a good amount of weight, Tomsula would not confirm that he would become an outside linebacker, but instead simply referred to him as an edge player. "He did get more reps on Sunday and he'll continue. And you'll continue to see Tank have more opportunities," said Tomsula.
The 49ers and Bengals will kick off at 1:25 PM on Sunday at Levi's Stadium.
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
With the 2024 NFL Draft less than a week away, it's common for the rumor mill to start churning, especially with players who are actively seeking a new contract. It was just two short years ago that WR Deebo Samuel requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers prior to draft day, only for cooler heads to prevail and eventually agree to a new deal.
Now, it's WR Brandon Aiyuk's turn to try and get paid and rumors surfaced over the weekend that he too would request to be dealt. While that report was quickly shot down by his agent, there's still a lot of discussion about Aiyuk's future and if other teams will come calling on draft night.
Legendary columnist Mike Silver joined
