Your daily San Francisco 49ers links for Wednesday, September 1, 2021
The 49ers return to the practice field on Wednesday. John Lynch will answer questions via conference call before. I’d expect the bottom of the roster to continue to churn as it’s unlikely the team is done making moves.
Hurd can prove Lynch right after making 49ers’ 53-man roster
Like rookie quarterback Trey Lance, the front office sees the potential in Hurd. He adds size to a group that does not shy away from contact and will continue its tradition of getting plenty of YAC (yards after catch).
Though unproven to this point, Hurd’s potential clearly was too appealing for the 49ers to pass up. Had he not made the 53-man roster, there’s a good chance he would have been scooped up by another team.
The difference between the two situations starts with the fact that Lance has to win the job. Opportunities have emerged for him to do so, but he hasn’t done it. Now, he’s out for roughly another week with a chip in the index finger of his throwing hand. Nothing can happen until the 49ers are certain that Lance would be ready to go.
Another possibility exists. The 49ers could issue an ultimatum to Garoppolo. Take less or be released. At this point, Garoppolo would have a hard time finding a significant salary elsewhere. If he’s offered $10 million to $15 million, perhaps with a chance to make back the rest of it through playing time and incentives, maybe he will take it.
“My coaching internship with the 49ers was a tremendous experience, and I was honored that Coach Shanahan offered me the opportunity to continue with the team this season,” Franklin said on 104.3 The Fan.
“While it’s bittersweet leaving my radio show here on The Fan, the chance to continue learning from Coach Shanahan working closely with my father-in-law Bobby Turner was one I just couldn’t pass up.”
Franklin’s final day on KKFN 104.3 The Fan will be Tuesday, Aug. 31 ending a two-year run at the top-rated Denver sports talk station.
Could the 49ers Use a Decade-Old Idea to Get Back to the Super Bowl?
It’s an objectively cool play design. And, more importantly, it’s ridiculously effective. The Ravens blew defenses away with the concept in 2020, calling it 41 times and averaging 0.56 expected points added per attempt, according to Sports Info Solutions. If you’re unfamiliar with the EPA metric, here’s some context: Last season, Aaron Rodgers led all quarterbacks with 0.36 EPA per play. It’s not often you can find a run concept more efficient than the reigning NFL MVP. And now Shanahan, already one of the league’s best play-callers, has it in his playbook.
That wasn’t the only new trick Shanahan showed off with Lance in the backfield on Sunday. The rookie’s lone touchdown of the day came on a beautifully choreographed zone read design that lured the Raiders out of position, opening a lane for Lance to stroll into the end zone untouched.
Below are the roster cuts, per the team. Here are some of the more notable moves:
- Cutting Nate Sudfeld, sticking with two quarterbacks
- Cutting the 25-year-old Colton McKivitz in favor of the 32-year-old Tom Compton
- Cutting Dontae Johnson in favor of Davontae Harris, who has been mostly injured since joining the 49ers
- Cutting Wayne Gallman over JaMycal Hasty
- Cutting Ha Ha Clinton-Dix over Tavon Wilson
- Trading Jonas Griffith to keep five linebackers, with Marcell Harris and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles being the fourth and fifth linebackers
- Cutting tight end MyCole Pruitt, who’s a solid run blocker and was guaranteed $500,000 of his base salary
- Cutting Travis Benjamin and Nsimba Webster and sticking with the most talented wide receivers in Jalen Hurd and Jauan Jennings as the final two