Wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. has joined the San Francisco 49ers practice squad after being cut by the Carolina Panthers.
Marshall, who had a subpar start to his first four years in the NFL, now has a fresh opportunity with the 49ers, where he will compete with Trent Taylor and Tay Martin on the practice squad.
If Marshall is called up to the active roster, he will face stiff competition in a wide receiver room that includes Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Chris Conley, Jacob Cowing, and Ronnie Bell.
In 2017, Marshall was a highly recruited five-star receiver from Parkway High School in Bossier City, LA. At LSU, he caught passes from Joe Burrow and played alongside fellow receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson.
During the Tigers' 2019 National Championship run, Marshall, despite being the third option, recorded 671 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns in 12 games.
While Burrow and Jefferson left for the NFL the following season and Chase opted out in late August, Marshall was primed for a breakout season. However, the Tigers struggled, finishing 5-5 with three different starting quarterbacks. Despite this, Marshall finished the season with 731 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
He concluded his collegiate career with 106 receptions, 1,594 receiving yards, and 23 touchdowns.
Marshall declared for the 2021 NFL Draft after his junior year, where the Panthers selected him in the second round. Over his three seasons in Carolina, he started 16 of 36 games, amassing 767 receiving yards and one touchdown.
During a media session, 49ers general manager John Lynch admitted he doesn't know what happened in Carolina, but believed Marshall to be a good football player, and the team is fortunate to get him in the building.
"I know that I got on the phone with Terrence along with Leonard Hankerson (wide receivers coach) and Kyle (Shanahan), and just told him about the way we do things, what we thought of him coming out of college and that this could be a great landing spot for him," Lynch said. "He's going to have to earn everything but it's a fun place for receivers to come and thrive. Whatever your best is, I think you'll find it here. We're excited for that opportunity, excited for our practice squad."
In his three seasons with the Panthers, Marshall played under three head coaches, four offensive coordinators, and with six different starting quarterbacks.
Now, being on the 49ers practice squad gives the fourth-year receiver a chance to learn the playbook, ease into a role, and potentially reach the same level of success as his former LSU teammates, Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson.
