Kyle Shanahan labels WR Deebo Samuel as team's "best screen-runner" ahead of Packers matchup
9/23/21 | News, Notes, and Quotes
Practice squad (16 player limit + one international player exemption)
Players re-signed after being "released" by the team: QB Nate Sudfeld, WR Travis Benjamin, OG Senio Kelemete
Claimed off waiver wire: RB Trenton Cannon
Players signed after being "waived" by team: FB Josh Hokit, WR River Cracraft, OT/OG Colton McKivitiz, DL Alex Barrett, DL Darrion Daniels, S Jared Mayden
Players signed: RB Chris Thompson, TE Tanner Hudson, DE Eddie Yarbrough, RB Kerryon Johnson, LB Curtis Bolton
International Player Pathway exemption: OT Alfredo Gutierrez
Practice Report:
49ers P Mitch Wishnowsky named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 2 performance
2019 4th-round pick (No. 110) | Utah
Won honor in 2019 (Week 9 vs AZ) | 3 punts inside the 20-yard line
In Week 2 vs Eagles Wishnowsky averaged 45.2 yards on his five punts:
*Three of which were downed inside the 20
*Out of those three, two were downed inside the 10
Shanahan on RB depth:
Status of RB Elijah Mitchell (shoulder) injury and what he likes in his rookie RB:
“A little worse than a stinger…he has a chance on Sunday.”
“He lowers his head and doesn’t mess around, that’s why he’s been so efficent for us.”
Status of RB Trey Sermon (concussion protocol):
“He’s allowed to have a blue jersey on today and just do individual [work]. On a good path.”
On possible going after RB Frank Gore:
"I would never put anything past Frank. I would probably give him a little heads up and some notice, he’ll always be ready to where he could help the team.
I thought it was a little early for that, and our guys still have a chance to play this week, so we look at it as an opportunity with not having 53 on our roster to try and steal someone off someone else’s practice squad, which we did. And then try to add a practice squad guy, which we did with Chris [Thompson].”
On why the team targeted RB Jacques Patrick:
“It’s a cool opportunity for all the scouts and everybody upstairs whose been studying other rosters all day, to look at practice squads and give us who they think is the best one is--and they gave us a good choice of guys and we looked at all of them, then we all came to the conclusion that, that was our top guy.”
Shanahan on WR Deebo Samuel high-volume target share
“Every one of Deebo’s runs he gets is a pass--two inches away, so those help his stats and helps him get a lot more targets too. He is our best screen-runner--so he’s probably gonna get the majority of those--so that adds up.”
Samuel has been targeted 37% of the time. The results are promising as Samuel leads the NFL in receiving yards via the first two games of the season.
15 catches for 282 receiving yards (18.8 avg.) and 1 TD
T-10th in NFL with 20 targets
T-2nd in NFL in yards per catch average (18.8 avg.) | minimum 10 catches
T-2nd in NFL with 20+ BIG plays (4)
Shanahan on going after Packers QB Aaron Rodgers this offseason
“I thought it would be a quick no. Which was exactly what I thought it would be…it didn’t seem like it was worth the call but I know how we would of felt if it were going to happen.”
On his game-plan as far as resting his players for a Sunday Night kickoff
“I always like the guys sleeping in a little bit, especially myself too--I think it always helps the guys and the more rowdy the fans are the better.”
Garoppolo on if he was given heads up on Niners targeting Rodgers this offseason
“I honestly didn’t get any inkling or anything like that--that’s just kinda how the offseason goes. Teams are always trying to look for something new and something better--that’s just kinda the nature of the beast, I guess.”
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