49ers announce opening 16-man practice squad for 2023 season
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers' first practice squad for 2023 is complete. But, just like the 53-man roster, the B-list group will undergo plenty of changes this season.
While the majority of focus on the San Francisco 49ers is on the creation of their initial 53-man roster (don't mind the drama surrounding now-Dallas Cowboys quarterback Trey Lance or the fact edge Nick Bosa isn't extended yet), it's also crucial to identify what head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch created as the opening practice squad ahead of the 2023 regular season.
As Shanahan pointed out already, neither the regular-season roster nor the practice squad remain etched in stone throughout the course of the year, and it'll be common for practice squad players to be elevated to the 53-man roster as needed.
Likewise, there'll be players dropped from the junior varsity group as others become available and are signed.
For now, though, the Niners have their opening 16-man practice squad with a 17th player added (Alfredo Gutierrez) by the way of the NFL International Pathway program, which allows for an extra spot.
49ers practice squad for beginning of 2023
Here are the players San Francisco is signing to its initial practice squad to begin the year:
- DL Alex Barrett
- FB Jack Colletto
- WR Chris Conley
- DL Marlon Davidson
- TE Troy Fumagalli
- OL Alfredo Gutierrez*
- RB Brian Hill
- CB Qwuantrezz Knight
- OL Corey Luciano
- WR Tay Martin
- DL T.Y. McGill
- LB Curtis Robinson
- WR Willie Snead IV
- CB Tre Swilling
- OL Leroy Watson IV
- WR Isaiah Winstead
* part of the International Pathway program
The 49ers ultimately had to make some tough decisions, though, which resulted in three of their players -- defensive back D'Shawn Jamison and offensive linemen Keith Ismael and Ilm Manning -- being claimed by other teams when they otherwise would have likely ended up on the Niners' practice squad to begin the year.
Read more: How much do NFL practice squad players earn?
Shanahan told reporters he would have liked to keep Jamison, who was a training camp and preseason standout. But the numbers simply didn't add up that way.
Knight, who is about as versatile as Jamison and notably more experienced at the pro level, does return and could find himself in one of those emergency call-up roles, should San Francisco need him.
All said, though, the practice squad could change again between now and when the 49ers open up their 2023 regular-season campaign in Week 1 on Sunday, Sept. 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, especially as players across the league bounce around from squad to rosters and to other squads.
Stay tuned for more updates.
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