49ers release former first-round NFL Draft pick amid roster cuts

The 49ers parted ways with a former first-round NFL Draft pick, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, as part of the necessary cuts to get down to a 53 man roster.

The brief tenure between the San Francisco 49ers and veteran safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix sure didn’t last long.

But at least it ended on a bang with Clinton-Dix recording an interception and returning it 36 yards to eventually set up the Niners’ final touchdown of their preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday.

Clinton-Dix, the one-time first-round NFL Draft pick out of Alabama who was selected by the Green Bay Packers in 2014, was brought in by San Francisco just before the preseason started and in the wake of injuries to fellow safeties Jaquiski Tartt and Tony Jefferson.

Yet with Tartt coming back from a turf-toe injury that landed him on the physically unable-to-perform list earlier, there was little room for Clinton-Dix to make the roster.

And so, he became one of the names on San Francisco’s final cuts ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline, as first reported by the Orlando Sentinal.

It’s possible the 49ers look to bring Clinton-Dix back on the practice squad, as last year’s rules for previously ineligible veterans still apply. And the fact Clinton-Dix didn’t play last year after failing to make the Dallas Cowboys’ regular-season squad could actually work in the Niners’ favor.

His chances, already low in the wake of fellow safeties Talanoa Hufanga and Tavon Wilson playing well, were ultimately lessened to the point of being released amid Tartt’s return.

49ers roster cuts include veteran wide receiver, backup center

San Francisco’s first transaction of roster-cut day was to move depth linebacker Jonas Griffith to the Denver Broncos along with a draft-pick swap, the 49ers picking up an extra sixth-round selection in the process.

In addition, the Niners parted ways with veteran wide receiver Travis Benjamin, who suffered a head injury versus the Raiders but had to have been cleared in order to be cut without an injury settlement:

Benjamin, who was vying for one of no more than two depth spots at wide receiver, originally joined San Francisco as a free agent in 2020 but opted out of that season amid the pandemic.

Joining Benjamin and Clinton-Dix on the reported list of 49ers cut players are:

• C Jake Brendel
• FB Josh Hokit
• TE MyCole Pruitt
• OL Senio Kelemete
• CB Alexander Myres
• QB Nate Sudfeld
• RB Wayne Gallman
• DL Eddie Yarbrough
• CB Dontae Johnson
• LB Justin Hilliard
• WR Nsimba Webster
• TE Jordan Matthews
• DL Alex Barrett
• WR River Cracraft
• DL Darrion Daniels
• OL Alfredo Gutierrez
• OL Corbin Kaufusi
• S Jared Mayden
• OL Colton McKivitz
• OL Dakoda Shepley
• LB Elijah Sullivan

Offensive tackle Shon Coleman (arm) was placed on injured reserve,

There are going to be plenty of additional releases and waived players between now at the 4 p.m. ET deadline, so stay tuned as this tracker continues to update.