To make room for Quintez Cephus, the 49ers waived RB Israel Abanikanda
The San Francisco 49ers are signing another wide receiver they worked out earlier this week. Quintez Cephus signed a one-year deal. To make room for Cephus, the 49ers waived running back Israel Abanikanda.
Cephus was a 5th-round pick in 2020 out of Wisconsin by the Detroit Lions. The 6’1, 210-pound wideout caught 20 passes as a rookie, then 15 passes in 2021, but has no statistics since 2022, where Cephus had two receptions after sustaining a season-ending foot injury in December.
Cephus was a part of a gambling violation back in April of 2023, which caused Detroit to release him. He’s bounced around since then, from Buffalo to Houston, before signing with the Rams. The Los Angeles Rams waived Cephus in late June after spending last season on their practice squad.
The Cephus signing comes a day after Jacob Cowing pulled his hamstring while running routes on air during practice. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was unsure how long Cowing would be out, but signing a wide receiver the day after Cowing’s injury suggests the 49ers did not receive good news.
Shanahan mentioned that signing a wide receiver was a possibility for the 49ers, but they’d have to evaluate what other position groups to cut from, which ultimately ended up being the running back room.
“You don’t have to [sign another wide receiver because of the injury], but we always would like to, especially with some of the stuff I was telling you guys yesterday,” Shanahan said on Wednesday. “So we’ve got to look at the rest of the roster, but that’s always what’s tough when guys are on PUP, not just wideouts but everybody because you like to pretend it’s 90 but I think it’s really like an 83 right now because they’re PUP.
“Then when you get that it goes to an 82, so you sign an extra receiver, what other position can we go short at? So that’s stuff that we’ll always be trying to figure out.”
Abanikanda was unlikely to make much of an impact or find himself in the running back rotation with Jordan James and Corey Kiner brought in as rookies this offseason. The 49ers also have second-year pro Isaac Guerendo and special teamer Patrick Taylor Jr. Plus, that Christian McCaffrey fella, who we believe can be maximized differently.
Currently, the 49ers have the following receivers healthy: Jauan Jennings, Demarcus Robinson, Russell Gage, Junior Bergen (seventh-round pick), Jordan Watkins (fifth-round pick), Isaiah Hodgins, Malik Knowles, Isaiah Neyor, Equanimeous St. Brown, Terique Owens, and now Quintez Cephus.