Are 49ers still looking for an edge? Five deals that make sense as deadline nears (paywall) “The price tag on the more-interesting Bradley Chubb is not steep at all — the prorated amount of the veteran’s
minimum, thanks to a reworked contract — but the problem is the incentives and bonuses written back into the contract for snaps played and sacks. No good.
Jaelen Phillips is three years younger than Chubb and out of our price range. That leaves us with Judon, who is 33 and doesn’t have a sack this season but had 15.5 for the Patriots in 2022. Give him 20 snaps a game and hope something clicks….Jermaine Johnson, a first-round pick to the Jets in 2022, would be a good fit. He’s 26, he’s signed through 2026 and he had strong production — 7 1/2 sacks, 16 quarterback hits and 11 tackles for loss — in 2023, his last full season under Saleh. He’d be pricey, however. Could he be exchanged for Brown and a fourth-round pick?
An easier acquisition might be Micheal Clemons, a Jets fourth-rounder in 2022. He’s not signed for next season, and he’s never made a big splash as a pass rusher. But he’s a Saleh favorite and seems obtainable. Clemons for a sixth-round pick in 2027? Who says no?“
NFL insider names additional players 49ers reportedly calling about
“Russini didn’t specify if the 49ers had called about Chubb and Judon, but it appears they are interested in Phillips, the fifth-year player out of the University of Miami. Phillips is one of the Dolphins’ better players, and would help a 49ers’ defense that is struggling to get to the quarterback. Phillips has three sacks and seven QB hits this season.
The 49ers have also been linked to Jets DL Jermaine Johnson. But according to Russini, New York is asking for a second-round pick or better. That makes Johnson less likely to be added to the 49ers. Lynch and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan have been adamant about not mortgaging the team’s future just to help the 2025 team.“
49ers have MetLife turf nightmares. Would they still use Brock Purdy in emergency? (paywall)
“The possibility that Purdy plays Sunday if a banged-up Jones can’t finish a full game raises the question: Why potentially put the $265 million franchise centerpiece in harm’s way at a venue with a historically controversial playing surface when his variant of turf toe has yet to fully heal?
“No, (the toe) is not fully healthy,” Shanahan confirmed Friday.
Purdy already aggravated the toe injury once. He has yet to dress in any of his missed games throughout what has been a prolonged recovery. Even as his practice participation intensifies, MetLife may not be the place to push it.
Shanahan asserted the 49ers have been more careful about ramping up Purdy’s practice regimen in recent weeks: “Can he hurt it again? Yes. … He didn’t get all the starter this week. As soon as he had a chance to get through practice the first time (ahead of his Week 4 return), we let him get all those starter reps (in practice) and it was great. Then there was a chance he could re-hurt in the game, and he did. … He got more reps this week, but we weren’t going to commit to all of that like we did last time. So I think it’s easing him back more than last time.”
49ers elevate Ferrell, Zakelj; Burford activated while Gross-Matos placed on IR
“Also, the 49ers placed defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos on injured reserve to create a roster spot for backup offensive lineman Spencer Burford.
The 49ers activated Burford off injured reserve. He sustained a knee injury in the 49ers’ Week 2 game against the New Orleans Saints. Burford will likely serve as the 49ers’ top backup at both tackle positions.“
Robert Saleh reveals reason for 49ers rookie Nick Martin’s limited playing time
“No, there’s no dissatisfaction,” Saleh told reporters Thursday. “There is a bit of a learning curve in terms of where he’s come from in college to what we’re asking him to do. I think he’s done a really nice job. He’s got to earn it on special teams with Dee Winters being the starter. [Luke Gifford] is a big-time special teams guy. Curtis Robinson’s a big-time special teams guy. Now you’ve got Tatum [Bethune] and Dee, who are both starters. So, for him, he has had to make his way. Then obviously, Fred [Warner] was there before Fred’s injury. It’s hard to justify if you’re not the starter and you’re not owning special teams.”
Saleh did praise Martin’s recent efforts with his first opportunity on special teams, a trend that will continue after the rookie earned more burn in the third phase of the game.
“Those guys are always going to get first dibs,” Saleh said. “And [Gifford], not to speak for [special teams coordinator] Brant [Boyer], but he has been one of our top special teams guys. You’ve got to find a role and you’ve got to make it work with who the active guys are. Now that he has got a chance to be active, he had his first run on special teams, thought he did a really nice job and he’s going to get another run at it.
“Unless Dee gets hurt, God forbid that that happens because Dee’s having a hell of a season, he’s going to have to make his way on special teams this year. And if something happens to Dee, then he’ll step in and we’ll see where see how it goes.”
How Kyle Shanahan, 49ers coaches script out the first 24 plays of every game
““I think it really helps the players,” Shanahan said. “You got over 100 things in, and they can really isolate on 24 plays.
“They still got to study their third downs and everything, but they kind of get an idea. And then we’ll talk about what we’re thinking in the second half, but I think it really just gives a player stuff to isolate on.”
Shanahan said he uses those first two dozen plays to gain information about how the defense is reacting to the 49ers’ personnel groupings, formations, shifts and motions. The first portion of the game will shape how Shanahan calls the game from that point forward, he said.
“By the time we get to that second half, usually I’m off that (play sheet) and we got a different idea where we’re going,” he said. “I’ll pull stuff from there, but it’s a big call sheet, so it just depends where I’m looking.”
