San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch spoke to reporters on Wednesday, the day after the team reduced its roster to 53 players. Here's everything they shared.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Can you bring us up to date on WR Jauan Jennings and how that fits into the overall picture of the 53?
President of Football Operations and General Manager John Lynch: "Yeah, so Jauan's still working through his calf issue, making progress. We're kind of like everyone else, hopeful but not sure on Week 1. We'll proceed as such. So, we're working to get the best mix out there. We added a piece today in MVS, [WR] Marquez Valdes-Scantling and thrilled to have him part of it. And you know, we move forward."
Are you involved with any other wide receivers?
JL: "We're always trying to improve our roster."
You guys have mentioned his MRI in the past. Do you guys see progress with the imaging that's been taken on the calf?
JL: "You don't image a guy daily, so that's something that happened a little bit ago and if it doesn't get better soon I'm sure we'll be doing more of that."
Is it worse than you originally had thought it was going to be?
JL:"Yeah, but you know calves can take a long time. That's one thing with that injury. I played with guys who, they can take a while."
I'm sure you may be aware that there's been some conjecture that there's more than just a calf going on given this desire for a new contract and everything. Are you convinced when he is healthy that he'll be ready to play?
JL:"Well, there's a lot that goes into that. Ideally everybody has a training camp, everyone's out there. That's a perfect world. But, he's been putting in work to the side and we'll have to make that judgment when the time comes. The other thing is both things can be true, you know, he wants a new contract and he's got a hurt calf, so I think people want to assume one or the other. Both things can be true."
When you make your decisions by the receiver position specifically, do you have to do it assuming you might not have Jauan for the first few weeks?
JL: "I think we make every decision on this roster with so many things in consideration. So yes, of course."
Has he asked to be traded?
JL: "A while ago he did. That was a long time ago and we've moved on from that."
That was during camp or was it before that?
JL: "I'm not getting into when it was, but it was a while ago."
What about WR Russell Gage Jr.? Any plans to bring him back?
JL: "Yeah, Gage will be out there today."
On the practice squad?
JL: "No, he will be on the 53."
You mentioned a couple of weeks ago that there would be movement and it's fluid given the number of injuries and positions. How hard is it to start looking at Week 1 knowing that there's still moves to be made? I mean, there's some positions that look pretty short right now. As the coach plotting for that, how difficult has that been?
Head Coach Kyle Shanahan: "It's always difficult. You know, it's difficult in Week 8 when you have a bunch of guys go down the week before too, and you're sitting there and you don't have those guys on practice squad and you're not sure how you're going to put it together, but you find a way to figure it out and you show up the next Sunday. So, at Week 1, it can be a little bit different. But these are times that you go through always as a coach at some time in the year. I'm glad that we have gotten a lot of our injured guys back, some joining in on practice on Monday. We'll have more out there today. So, hopefully we'll keep having better luck with that."
This is a team that's had great chemistry obviously but also had some contractual issues in the past. What does it tell you that Jauan did ask to be traded and does that change the way you think about him or the way he exists on this organization?
KS: "No, that doesn't faze me at all. I don't think it has anything to do with team chemistry. I don't think it has anything to do with how we approach each other and how we spend our time with each other. That has to do with business decisions. Those are the business decisions people make. But, I don't look at any of that stuff. I mean, you get a tweet of that while you're on your vacation and I don't get the tweets but when people copy a tweet and send it to me, that's about all I get and I usually move on with my life."
So, when you said he did ask for a trade a while back, has that trade request been rescinded?
JL: "No, he asked for it and we've moved on. We're not doing that, so we're moving forward."
What is his contract? One of the contract sites says that he has incentives baked into that contract that he signed. Does he have performance-based incentives?
JL: "I think that report, somebody put that in front. That was from last year. So those are things that he's already earned from last year."
Your offense is pretty consistently overly the years ranked toward the top of the League in yards after catch. To what extent is that a credit to the scheme versus the individual with any one receiver or player?
KS: "I mean, I think it always goes to players. You can always get more yards after the catch if you're really open. You need good players to get really open. Sometimes you're not really open and you have the right player who's only a normal guy would get two yards after the catch, but we've got a different guy who gets four yards after the catch. So that stuff adds up. I always give that credit to the players."
A nickname for Washington Commanders WR Deebo Samuel Sr., WR Brandon Aiyuk and TE George Kittle was the YAC bros. Deebo's not here anymore and Aiyuk won't be ready to go for the early part of the season. How would you assess WR Ricky Pearsall's chances of maybe being accepted as a new member?
KS: "I'm struggling to hear, were you saying that him getting yards after the catch? Oh, YAC bro? (laughter)."
How do you assess his chances of being a new member?
KS: "I think anytime you have really good hands, that's where it starts with having yards after the catch. How quickly you can stop the spin of a ball, tuck it away and get immediately vertical usually has to do with how good your hands are. Ricky is very good at that. Then other stuff goes into breaking tackles and stuff. Deebo was elite at that because of how big he was and how powerful he was. Then some guys get yards after the catch because they can run away from everybody. But usually, the guys who have yards after the catch are guys who don't mess around and catch it clean, get right up the field. That to me always starts with your hands and leads to the mindset of how you play football."
Are things trending so that you think you'll have OL Dominick Puni and OL Ben Bartch Week 1?
KS: "We're optimistic about it. We're hoping so. I guess I would say that'd be trending in the right direction, but we won't know that until next week. We got Bartch back out on Monday's practice, we're on course for that, and hoping to get Puni out sometime next week, if not Monday, hopefully Wednesday. But he's doing good in his rehab and it's looking positive so far."
You guys activated DL Yetur Gross-Matos yesterday from PUP. Where is he? Is he possible for Week 1 or is that going to be later?
KS: "Yeah, he's possible for Week 1. We expect him to get out and start practicing here next week. But we've been working him out like he's going to play Week 1. He's been handling that well. Hopefully that'll continue and he'll be out there on Sunday."
You guys did that overhaul, that defensive front was a big emphasis all offseason. So now that you're about on the cusp of the season, how does that unit look? You guys stocked up on them at the 53-man roster. I'm sure there's changes now too, but how has it come along?
JL: "There's a lot of change to it, but we like the group, and I think they've all gotten better throughout camp. I mean, [DL Nick] Bosa's Bosa, he's going to be Bosa. You know, [DL] Mykel [Williams] started off really good, had a great offseason, then got nicked in training camp, as did [DL] C.J. West. But they've both done a nice job. [DL] Alfred Collins, we're really happy and proud of the efforts he's put forth, and I think he's improving as he's getting his legs underneath him. [DL] Sam O [Okuayinonu] making great contributions. Kyle just talked about Yetur. [DL] Bryce Huff really has shown his value to us. So, I think when you throw it all together, [DL Robert] Beal [Jr.] in that group as well, as you throw that whole group together, there's a lot to it. We did claim a guy from Jacksonville, [DL] Jordan Jefferson today, and it felt like an opportunity to upgrade our group. A guy we've liked way back to his college days in LSU and add something to our group, and we wanted to take a look at that. So, when you put the whole group together, I think we like it, and there's versatility, guys who can move inside, rush inside. It will be a fun group to work with."
A few ex-Jacksonville guys. Is the personnel executive Ethan Waugh connection helpful there or is that just random?
JL: "Well, it's certainly nice when you, you can see the film. We can all see the film, you go back to Draft process, but how's he been since he's been a pro? It's nice to have Ethan's you know, we respect Ethan's opinion, he's earned that around here. So, it is nice to have that resource."
How hard was the decision on DL Sebastian Valdez and what went into that decision to go forward the way you did?
KS: "You mean him not making the 53? Just numbers. Sometimes we go with four guys inside, sometimes we go with five. We usually go nine as a group. We went 10. We ended up finding a, I think we went 11, actually. Then finding out we could get one from another roster. We're glad that he's still here on our practice squad. You always take a risk of losing those guys. But, there's no difference to me between our 53 and the 16 guys on practice squad. I know for those guys there's a difference because it's a different paycheck, which I fully understand, but Sebastian's part of our team, and I'm glad that we didn't lose him. I plan on him continuing throughout the year, and there's probably going to come a time this year where we need him."
You mentioned you're not going to trade Jauan. Are you negotiating with him or waiting for him to come back soon?
JL: "We keep those things behind the, we have throughout the offseason and we'll leave it at that."
You mentioned bringing Russell Gage Jr. back. Any other moves of guys who will be adding to the 53?
JL: "Just some practice squad stuff that's gone on, continuing to add to that. We'll put that out as soon as that's final. But just that right now."
Do you guys plan to have a quarterback on the practice squad?
JL: "We do."
What's the plan with QB Kurtis Rourke this season? Is it going to be a redshirt with him?
KS: "He gets three weeks to decide when he comes back so we'll decide on that and how those three weeks go. I don't expect it anytime real soon, but I think what I said last time around Week 6 or something. So, sometime in that area. When that happens we'll have three weeks to decide. It's always tough when a guy doesn't get any offseason to throw him into three weeks of carded practices and stuff to make a decision. He's worked as hard as anyone can in the position he's in just when we see him out in the morning doing what he does in the morning, how attentive he is in the meetings. So, he'll give himself a chance in those three weeks and if not he'll get a redshirt year."
Who will be the quarterback you're signing to the practice squad?
KS: "It's not official."
JL: "He's still en route, but [QB] Adrian Martinez is his name, was with the Jets. He's en route."
How do you think K Jake Moody did this preseason?
JL: "Well, I think I think it was an excellent competition between him and [K Greg] Joseph. I think Kyle spoke to, we didn't want that competition to end, but anyone who says it wasn't a competition, I don't really agree. I think the coaches, the special teams coaches, are always charting everything. So, you see what you see in front of everyone and then they're doing things to the side. Jake had a really good preseason. I found it interesting after having a hell of a game in Las Vegas that a lot of people still have questions. I guess that when you had a season like he did last year, those things are going to be there until you kind of put that away. We've got a lot of belief in him and understand that last year was rough, but that happens in guys' careers. Our confidence and belief in him is what we see out here. I will say everything's earned in this League and everyone's got to go prove it each and every game, each and every year. So, Jake understands that."
With S Marques Sigle, what's his progress been? Also, any update on CB Upton Stout?
KS: "Upton should get out there today, here this afternoon. So, it'll be his first time out at practice here a little bit. So excited about that. Marques Sigle has had an awesome camp. He got a late start missing OTAs, I think it was his core surgery, but he's been great. You guys have seen him in the games. It's been the same way in practice, and we expect him to help us this year."
Last year you guys had 17 guys with offensive linemen and defensive linemen. This year it's 21. Was this just a product of guys that were unhealthy?
JL: "We like the groups. And sometimes there's roster mechanics that go on. Last year I forgot exactly what happened, why we went light, but this is where we thought our best 53 was right now. As Kyle always tells the guys, it's never a final 53. I'm sure it will be fluid, but we liked the group of guys and like I said, expect it to move. It never stays static."
At the Owners' meetings when free agency was fresh you kind of indicated that you guys had to take your medicine. I don't think you said it was a one season pause, but kind of had that vibe. I know you've since said that your feelings have changed. It doesn't feel like it's quite a Super Bowl or bust, but obviously you still have a lot of great players. Big picture where do you think you are? Is it a different feeling than some of the past years?
KS: "I've been feeling the same for a while. We can go back to free agency. We lost a lot of our team that day and we didn't sign a bunch of guys. So, there was a lot of uncertainty. I felt a lot better after the Draft and we filled up some of those holes. When you look at it today, the Draft makes you feel better because you fill up some of those holes, but you're not going to feel good until you actually see those guys make your team and play. I think that was the most exciting thing when you look at the 53. We lost more D-Linemen and stuff and defensive players than what we had, especially in one exit. And sometimes as a coach you think you're going to make that all up in the Draft, I look at that as a little make believe. Wherever you draft, first round, second round, seventh round, it's usually 50/50 on that guy. And then when I look at all the guys we drafted and that they legitimately made our team and we're excited about them, that's the stuff that makes me feel a lot better. Where are we at? I don't know. It depends on how good we get as this year goes. We lost some good players, but I think we've filled them with some guys who are capable of becoming those guys and hopefully capable of becoming better. Is that going to happen right away? No, it never does. But can it happen this year? Can it happen by Week 4? Can it happen by Week 8? Those are things that we're optimistic about. We want to have good luck with injuries and everything like that, which I can't control all of that, but I'm excited that we have options in this building. We have young guys to work with and we have a bunch of players who have been successful in this League, who I still believe have a number of good years ahead of them too."
You look at it two ways, obviously more inexperienced, particularly depth-wise, but also maybe more upside. How do you kind of view the variance that you might get with a younger group when you're building up the roster?
JL: "Yeah, I think 10 of 11 of our Draft picks, that's a lot of Draft picks and 10 of 11 made it and an undrafted free agent made it as well. So, there is a lot of youth on this team. There's a lot of opportunity with youth. The expectation, the standard doesn't change. They've got great examples of guys who've done it at a high level in this League, so that's really cool for these guys, but you don't expect for it to go perfectly. Hopefully you've worked through a lot of that during the offseason, during training camp, these guys have played preseason games, because of some injuries in camp a lot of these guys have probably got more reps than they've expected. Now in the same tune, some of our rookies were hurt for a couple weeks during training camp. So, I think a lot of it just remains to be seen, but we're excited about what this group has infused into our team. We're excited about the team in general. Did a lot of talent leave this team last year? Absolutely. That's the League and we made the best of it. I like where our team's at."
You look at the construction of this team, despite the turnover there's at least a guy in every room who's a veteran, who's been there, who can kind of show the ropes. Is that encouraging for you in terms of looking at how the transition can be smooth because of that?
JL: "Yeah, it's a great mix. I remember when I was a rookie having [former LB] Hardy Nickerson next to me. So, to be a young guy and have an established vet who's been really successful, who can help you on the field, but help you off the field too, take you through that, that's what you want in a locker room. I think we've got that throughout this locker room. There's a lot of really impressive people. Obviously, their work on the field speaks for itself. So, tremendous for these rookies to have role models. You want to be successful? Study successful people, they're all over this locker room. So, I think that bodes well for us."