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On Thursday morning, it was revealed that the San Francisco 49ers would release
WR Bruce Ellington, who has been buried on the depth chart. Obviously, the receiver was not a participant in Thursday's practice and
his release was officially announced by the team during that practice.
Joe Fann of
49ers.com said that the release of Ellington shows a level of confidence in the team's younger players. The 49ers also claimed 6-foot-5 rookie
WR Tim Patrick from the Baltimore Ravens and signed veteran
WR Louis Murphy.
Out because of an ankle injury,
DL DeForest Buckner is listed as day-to-day. He limped off of the field during team drills on Wednesday, had his left ankle taped up, and then observed from the sideline for the remainder of practice. His injury is not believed to be serious.
S Eric Reid returned as a full practice participant after being limited due to an ankle injury.
OL J.P. Flynn (knee),
CB Zach Franklin (ankle),
LB Eli Harold (concussion), and
S Jaquiski Tartt (rib) did not participate while
LB NaVorro Bowman,
WR Pierre Garçon,
T Joe Staley, and
OL Jeremy Zuttah were given a veteran day off.
Below are some notes from Thursday's practice, which was the 49ers' sixth of training camp.
Grant Cohn of the
Press Democrat first reported that
RB Tim Hightower left team drills with an injury. The 49ers signed him on April 1. Prior to his past two seasons with the New Orleans Saints,
Hightower had missed three NFL seasons due to an infection in his surgically-repaired left knee. While the running back did not return to practice, Cohn later reported that the injury did not look serious.
With Bowman given the day off and an injury to
LB Brock Coyle, rookie
LB Reuben Foster had an opportunity to play with the first-team defense during practice, where he was credited with two sacks and a tipped pass.
LB Ray-Ray Armstrong came away with the interception off of
QB Brian Hoyer following the tip by Foster.
Kevin Jones of
KNBR called Thursday's practice
the most physical of training camp, noting good showings by a couple of undrafted safeties,
Lorenzo Jerome and
Chanceller James.
Jones also pointed out that
RB Carlos Hyde had five or six receptions, several of which were for big gains. "Talk of cutting him seems laughable," Jones said.
WR Marquise Goodwin, who has come away with a number of long touchdown passes during practices, came away with another one on Thursday. Goodwin's stock has soared during training camp.
Remember,
49ers Webzone writer and co-host of our "No Huddle" podcast, Zain Naqvi (@zain49ers), will be covering the 49ers' open practice at Levi's Stadium from the field on Saturday, giving fans updates and observations from the session.
Related News
The San Francisco 49ers will hold a mandatory minicamp from June 4 through 6, officially concluding the team's offseason program. After that, the Niners will break for over a month and return to the Santa Clara facilities for training camp in late July.
Between that time, starting quarterbacks will often organize throwing sessions with their receivers in an effort to build chemistry ahead of the rigors of training camp. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has been unable to participate in such sessions over the last two years. The last overall draft pick in 2022, Purdy had yet to make a name for himself during his first offseason. Last year, he was still recovering from offseason surgery on his throwing arm.
RELATED:
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
