Want the latest Bay Area sports news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here to receive regular email newsletters, including “The Dime.”
Construction in Santa Clara continues.
The 49ers’ roster took more steps toward its Week 1 form on Wednesday, but there’s clearly work still needed at the wide receiver position — and much of it seems dependent on a resolution to the ongoing situation with Jauan Jennings.
“Both things can be true,” 49ers general manager John Lynch, clearly in no mood to answer questions about Jennings, said before practice on Wednesday. “He wants a new contract and he’s got a hurt calf.”
Lynch again refused to go into negotiation specifics, but he divulged that Jennings requested a trade “a while ago.” That’s contrary to what 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said at the start of training camp, but Lynch emphasized that the team is not entertaining that request.
“He asked for it and we’ve moved on,” Lynch said. “We’re not doing that, so we’re moving forward.
“… 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 [of wideouts] out there.”
The 49ers are doing that by continuing to scour the receiver market — and by adding to the position.
On Wednesday, they agreed to terms with veteran wideout Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who was recently released by the Seattle Seahawks — whom the 49ers play on Sept. 7 to open the season. Though Valdes-Scantling, 30, has dropped 24 passes in his career, he has leveraged his 4.36 speed to 3,566 career receiving yards. The 49ers can certainly use his help as they navigate through this wideout desert.
The 49ers are also reportedly interested in adding veteran Kendrick Bourne, who spent the first four years of his career with them. The New England Patriots released Bourne, also now 30, on Wednesday.
Acquiring Bourne might be contingent on whether or not Jennings plans to suit up for Week 1. As it stands now, the 49ers should enter Thursday’s practice with four healthy receivers — Ricky Pearsall, Skyy Moore, Valdes-Scantling and Russell Gage (whom they’ll re-sign Thursday as part of a cutdown maneuver) — on their 53-man roster. They can also flex up Robbie Chosen or Malik Turner, both of whom have been re-signed to the practice squad, if needed by Week 1.
Only this much seems clear: Expect a heavy dose of Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle against Seattle. Because even if Jennings is back by then, he has still missed most of training camp. Given that and all the other injuries at receiver — the team moved Jacob Cowing to IR with his hamstring issue on Wednesday — the 49ers have been steered toward relying on their superstars at running back and tight end.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. McCaffrey and Kittle could both eventually be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Combined with quarterback Brock Purdy, they’re more than capable of carrying a large load for the 49ers.
But the receiver position is needed to fully unlock the offense, and that’s where the 49ers are still scrambling most to figure things out in time for kickoff.
The good news for them is that their injured roster is healing. Running back Jordan James and defensive back Upton Stout, both of whom have missed the past few weeks of practice, were back out on the field Wednesday.
And in a couple of notable twists, Shanahan said offensive lineman Dominick Puni and defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos are both trending to be available for Week 1
Here’s a rundown of the roster work that the 49ers accomplished outside of the receiver position on Wednesday.
One new DT, one returning DT
The 49ers, up at No. 11 in the waiver claim order this year, managed to land second-year defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson. (The Cincinnati Bengals also tried to claim Jefferson, but were down at No. 17 in the order.)
The 313-pound Jefferson spent his first NFL season with the Jacksonville Jaguars. To make room, the 49ers waived defensive tackle Evan Anderson. There does seem to be a chance he’ll return to the practice squad if he clears waivers.
“It felt like an opportunity to upgrade our group,” Lynch said of adding Jefferson. “A guy we’ve liked way back to his college days in LSU. We wanted to take a look at that. So, when you put the whole group together, we like it. There’s versatility, guys who can move inside, rush inside. It will be a fun group to work with.”
The D-line unit also again features rookie defensive tackle Sebastian Valdez, who was not claimed on waivers. He re-signed with the 49ers’ practice squad on Wednesday.
“You always take a risk of losing those guys,” Shanahan said. “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.”
A new QB fills out the room
He didn’t make it in time for Wednesday’s practice, but new 49ers quarterback Adrian Martinez should be suited up for Thursday’s morning session. Martinez, a San Joaquin Valley native who spent 2024 with the New York Jets practice squad, will back up Purdy and Mac Jones from the practice squad.
Martinez is a dual-threat QB who passed for nearly 10,000 yards and rushed for nearly 3,000 yards over five college seasons at Nebraska and Kansas State.
The practice squad is complete — minus one opening
Fifteen of 16 practice squad spots are now filled.
What will the 49ers do with that last opening? Perhaps they’re waiting for Anderson, waived Wednesday to make room for Jefferson, to fill it.
That would mark a fitting ending to this first phase of post-cutdown roster construction. The 49ers have clearly prioritized a strong foundation in the trenches. They currently have 26 linemen in the building, with 21 of them on the 53-man roster.
Why not make it 27 big men?
