Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
The San Francisco 49ers
traded linebacker Eli Harold to the Detroit Lions on Thursday. He spent the past three seasons in San Francisco after the team made him a third-round draft pick in 2015.
After Thursday's practice, head coach Kyle Shanahan discussed the reasoning behind the trade. He would have loved to have kept Harold on the roster, but the team had to make some tough decisions. It wasn't until Shanahan and the coaching staff started to look at what the 53-man roster might look like that the 49ers made the decision to trade Harold.
"It was a tough decision," Shanahan said. "Love Eli. It's been great getting to know him over the last year. But as this week went, just looking at how our final 53 is going to work out, I won't say it was just about Eli. It has a lot to do with how we think we're going to use people on game day, who's going to be up between defensive lineman, outside linebackers, inside linebackers. All three of those positions kind of play together.
"We had some numbers issues at certain spots, and we kind of saw how it was probably going to go. We wanted to do what was best for Eli, best for this organization, and make that decision now."
The 49ers have several players capable of playing at the SAM linebacker spot.
"There's so many different ways we can go here in the next 10 days," Shanahan said.
Shanahan was asked about rookie linebacker
Fred Warner and the potential of moving him outside. Warner has only been practicing at inside linebacker, according to Shanahan.
"I think every guy on our roster who is listed as an inside linebacker is capable of playing outside linebacker," Shanahan said. "It just depends how you want to treat that position, the (opposing) offense treats it."
With Harold gone, Mark Nzeocha and Pita Taumoepenu took snaps at the SAM linebacker spot during Thursday's practice. Dekoda Watson continued to work at LEO while Fred Warner played inside linebacker.
Nzeocha will start at SAM against the Colts, according to Shanahan.
Offensive lineman Garry Gilliam remains in the concussion protocol and, as of right now, has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Indianapolis Colts.
No decision has been made on cornerback K'Waun Williams (ankle) yet. He is questionable.
Defensive end Arik Armstead (hamstring), defensive lineman Solomon Thomas (concussion), and linebacker Malcolm Smith (hamstring) are expected to play.
Cornerback Richard Sherman (hamstring) is also expected to play.
"We're playing [Sherman] with the starters and we'd like the starters to play the first half," Shanahan said. "Like I said earlier in the week, it could be less, it could be a little bit more. I'd like to keep Richard on the same plan. He hasn't been out as much as everyone so we'll see how it goes. We'll monitor his reps.
"If it's a ton of reps, you never know how long two quarters can go, but hopefully he gets enough where he feels comfortable."
Starters typically do not play during the final exhibition game. Shanahan would not promise anything when it comes to Sherman. The two will talk after Saturday's game and discuss if the cornerback feels more work is needed. The 49ers are scheduled to play the Los Angeles Chargers at Levi's Stadium on Thursday, August 30.
"Based off of how [Saturday] goes and how practice goes next week, I'll talk to him and see how much he thinks he needs versus [the Chargers]," Shanahan said.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for a franchise-record 4,280 yards last season, leading the team to the Super Bowl and earning his first Pro Bowl selection. He held onto the football 39 times on the ground, rushing for 144 yards and scoring twice. This marked a significant improvement over his rookie 2022 campaign when he had 22 carries for 13 yards and a score.
Purdy further displayed his athleticism during the 49ers' playoff game against the Detroit Lions last season, helping engineer a comeback victory while rushing for 48 yards on five carries.
On Tuesday morning, Purdy joined the "Pat McAfee Show," acknowledging that he believes he can contribute more rushing yards if called upon. However, that decision rests with head coach Kyle Shanahan,
A questionable rumor surfaced on Wednesday regarding the Pittsburgh Steelers' interest in San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Sports Illustrated contributor Noah Strackbein reported that the AFC team was seemingly confident they could pull off a trade for Aiyuk.
However, the credibility of this report comes into question due to the assertion that the Steelers believe they could acquire Aiyuk at a bargain price, possibly in exchange for a second-round draft pick and a late-round selection.
RELATED: Steelers believe they can acquire Aiyuk at a
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy achieved a remarkable feat in 2023, setting a single-season franchise record with 4,280 passing yards. This accomplishment is noteworthy, considering the illustrious quarterbacks who have graced the organization's history.
A significant portion of those yards came from wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who amassed a career-high and team-leading 1,342 receiving yards. Most of his 75 catches originated from passes thrown by Purdy.
Amidst significant offseason chatter surrounding the 49ers' star receiver, including several unsubstantiated trade rumors, Aiyuk's future remains uncertain. Former NFL player James Jones, now an analyst, expressed concern for Purdy should Aiyuk's tenure in the Bay Area come to an end.
"I
The San Francisco 49ers first selection in next week's draft comes at No. 31 overall. However, NFL Media analyst Chad Reuter doesn't have the Bay Area team remaining at that spot in the first round. In his seven-round mock draft, he envisions the 49ers striking a deal with the Green Bay Packers to move up six spots to No. 25 overall, where they select former Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry.
Reuter notes, "Whether it's for a cornerback like McKinstry, an offensive lineman or a receiver, the 49ers could very well give up a mid-round pick to acquire one of the few missing pieces on an otherwise potent roster."
The rest of the mock draft reveals at least part of the
