The San Francisco 49ers officially announced several roster moves on Wednesday afternoon. The first was that safety Jimmie Ward is being placed on season-ending injured reserve. Of course, that has been known since Monday.
As reported earlier on Wednesday, the 49ers signed offensive tackle Bryce Harris to a one-year deal. The team is also promoting cornerback Greg Mabin from the practice squad to the active roster and signing defensive back Tyvis Powell to fill the spot he left vacant.
Ward appeared in seven games and started six this season. He had 32 tackles, one pass defensed, and one fumble recovery.
Harris entered the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons in 2012 as an undrafted free agent out of Fresno State. He spent 2012 through 2014 with the New Orleans Saints and then a second stint with Atlanta in 2015 when 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was the offensive coordinator there. After that, he spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, another stint with the Saints, and then the Detroit Lions. Harris was released by Detroit on October 26 after spending just nine days with the Lions.
Harris, 28, has appeared in 37 games and started four during his NFL career.
Mabin entered the league with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent out of Iowa on May 1. Following his release seven days later, he was signed by the Bills on June 1 and then waived on September 12 before joining Buffalo's practice squad. Mabin was promoted to the active roster on October 7 and made his NFL debut during Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals and had one pass defensed. He joined the 49ers practice squad on October 18.
Newcomer Powell originally signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted rookie free agent on May 6, 2016. In eight games last season, he had three tackles on special teams. The Seahawks waived Powell on January 4. He spent part of the offseason with the Cleveland Browns and was later claimed off waivers by the Indianapolis Colts on June 12. After spending training camp with the Colts, he was placed on injured reserve on September 3 and then released on September 12. He re-joined the Seahawks on September 19 after signing to the team's practice squad and was released on October 24.
