San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters before practice on Thursday and confirmed a report by Mike Garafolo of NFL Network that the team is re-signing veteran wide receiver Jordan Matthews to replace rookie Jalen Hurd (back), who, along with cornerback Jason Verrett (knee), was placed on injured reserve.
Matthews spent the offseason with the 49ers but was part of the team's roster cutdown to 53 players.
"He'll be at practice (today)," Shanahan told reporters.
The coach was asked why the 49ers decided to bring back Matthews.
"It's that we only have five receivers on our roster right now," Shanahan responded. "We IR'd two (the other is Trent Taylor). We had seven. We've been going with five because we've been waiting for those two, and now that both of those are on IR, you always want at least six.
"You'd like to always have six receivers up because you usually take five into game day, and Jordan was a guy who was extremely close to making our team. We knew if those guys didn't come back, he'd be the next man up."
RELATED 49ers officially announce the re-signing of veteran WR Jordan Matthews
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who also spoke with reporters, sounded excited to have Matthews back.
"Jordan was one of the first guys that came up to me in the offseason, kind of wanted to learn the intricacies of the offense and everything, and how it's all tied together," Garoppolo said. "Just his work ethic is incredible. There's not many guys that have been around like that, so it's great to have a guy like that back."
Added Garoppolo: "He's got great hands, going to catch everything. He's a good possession receiver. He's going to go make the tough catches for you. As a quarterback, you love to see that, especially to have a big guy. It just gives you confidence to throw those."
Shanahan also provided an update on running back Tevin Coleman, who looks on track to return to the 49ers after suffering an ankle sprain during Week 1. Coleman will take part in practice on Thursday as the team prepares to face the Cleveland Browns at Levi's Stadium on Monday night, and the team will evaluate him throughout the week to see if he is ready to play on Monday or the next game.
"If Tevin's 100 percent and good to go, he's a guy we never would keep out," Shanahan said. "But it's also going to be a short week getting ready for the Rams too, so we take all that into account."