The San Francisco 49ers kicking game may be getting a boost. The team has reinstated Kyle Nelson from the reserve/suspended list now that the long snapper has served his 10-game suspension for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances.
49ers LS Kyle Nelson was reinstated from reserve/suspended yesterday and granted a roster exemption that expires next Monday (Oct. 28).
— Howard Balzer (@HBalzer721) October 22, 2019
The 49ers released long snapper Garrison Sanborn but it wasn't necessarily because of Nelson's reinstatement. The team has a temporary roster exemption for his spot. The 49ers traded for Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders on Tuesday and needed to clear a roster spot for his addition.
The #49ers have released LS Garrison Sanborn.
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 22, 2019
The suspension was handed down by the NFL in December of 2018, and he had six games left to sit out at the start of the 2019 season. It was his second violation with the first occurring during his rookie year in 2011.
San Francisco entered the season with Colin Holba as its long snapper. The team replaced him with Jon Condo on September 17, who retired a week later, and then signed Sanborn.
The 49ers signed Nelson to a four-year extension through 2022 on March 12.
The New Orleans Saints signed Nelson as an undrafted free agent out of New Mexico State in 2011. He spent time with the San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins before signing with the 49ers on July 25, 2014. Before that, Nelson had two other offseason stints with San Francisco in 2012 and 2013. During both instances, the 49ers released him before the start of the regular season.
Before his suspension, Nelson, an eight-year veteran, appeared in every game (76 games) with San Francisco since joining the team in 2014.