49ers release CB Darqueze Dennard, 3 others ahead of first roster cut-down deadline

Do you smell that? It's playoff football. It's a time to celebrate. For a few more precious hours, every team in the tournament still has life, still has reason to hope. There are no more guaranteed games, but there's football to be played, and right now is the time to exult in it. No matter who you root for, you can imagine your team finding a way to win, a way to keep playing football, and filling your February with excitement and joy. Right now, there's nothing standing between your team and glory except the vagaries of chance and a well-fought effort this weekend, and hopefully the next. And for those of you who aren't rooting for a team that's made it this far, never fear. 7 of the 14 playoff entrants this year didn't make it into the dance last year. The

There probably wasn't much concern inside the San Francisco 49ers building surrounding running back Christian McCaffrey's availability for Sunday's NFC Championship Game matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. When asked about the chances of not playing this weekend, McCaffrey responded, "Zero." The media has kept an eye on the situation because McCaffrey missed the first two practices this week due to a calf contusion. The running back was back on the practice field on Friday, though, indicating he will be ready to go against the Eagles. The bad news is that running back Elijah Mitchell, who also missed Wednesday's and Thursday's practices, was not on the

On Monday, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan jumped on a conference call with reporters and provided several injury updates following Sunday's 19-12 Divisional Round playoff win over the Dallas Cowboys. The coach mentioned three players. Two were already known, based on post-game information. However, the third is a new development. First, the known injuries. Charles Omenihu suffered an oblique strain that briefly forced the defensive end to exit the game. Shanahan says Omenihu is day-to-day leading to Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Running back Christian McCaffrey revealed that he fought through some bothersome calf

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters after Friday's practice, providing final updates ahead of the team's Divisional Round playoff matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. Here is everything he had to say. Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff. Opening Comments: "Alright, injuries. [QB Jimmy] Garoppolo will be out. [CB] Ambry Thomas, out. That's it." No questionables? "Nope, they're all full." We saw Jimmy coming off the practice field. How's he coming along? Is he working out on the side? "Yeah, it was the first week he was able to come out in the field, walk around a little bit, do