Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Jaguars sign fan favorite Marcus Rush from the 49ers practice squad
Dec 20, 2016 at 7:28 AM
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The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed San Francisco 49ers
LB Marcus Rush from the practice squad. News of the signing was
first reported by Matt Barrows of the
Sacramento Bee and later confirmed by Adam Caplan of
ESPN.
According to Barrows, his expected signing is the reason that the 49ers had a vacancy on the squad, which they filled by signing
LB Brandon Chubb.
Rush, a fan favorite, was a standout pass rusher in preseason and recorded six sacks against opposing quarterbacks in exhibition play, which not only led the team but led the NFL. When it came time to make the team's final cuts in September, Rush was one of numerous roster casualties. He was later signed to the team's practice squad where he remained all season.
49ers defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil recently spoke a little bit about Rush and his work on the practice squad. "He does a great job in practice every day," he said. "He usually mimics the team's best defensive end or pass rusher and he gives our offensive guys a great look."
The 49ers won't have that luxury in practice for their final two games of the season. With so many injuries plaguing the defense, the 49ers likely were unable to activate an edge rusher like Rush.
"We've always talked about everybody that's available to us," 49ers head coach Chip Kelly said earlier this month when asked why the team had not activated Rush. "But, a lot of it really comes into, the biggest thing for us when we get to, you're talking the bottom of the roster, is a special teams spot."
"We didn't put Aaron [Lynch] down (while he missed time with an ankle injury)," Kelly continued to explain. "If we had put Aaron down for the year then you'd want to be bringing in another outside linebacker."
The knock on Rush was his inability to provide run support. While he was a solid pass rusher and ranked at the top by
Pro Football Focus, during preseason, his inability against the run was a big weakness that still needed to be developed. The 49ers' run defense currently ranks last in the league.
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