49ers news and rumors: Zach Ertz back in the mix, Arik Armstead hurting, Deebo Samuel OPOW
1. Zach Ertz is apparently on the 49ers' radar despite Kyle Shanahan hinting otherwise
2. Arik Armstead's foot is bothering him
3. Deebo Samuel is good... like, Offensive Player of the Week kind of good
By Peter Panacy
Niner Noise recaps the latest 49ers news and rumors from what's a pretty active Wednesday entering Week 14.
The San Francisco 49ers' Week 13 road victory over the Philadelphia Eagles not only proved how serious head coach Kyle Shanahan's team is as a Super Bowl contender, but the one-sided win over what was previously a one-loss Philly squad perhaps suggested that the Niners are the Super Bowl contender.
Indeed, recent betting odds suggest as much.
There are five weeks left in the regular season, and for the most part, the injury bug hasn't hit San Francisco very hard so far. That's quite the departure from plenty of previous campaigns under Shanahan.
However, a number of 49ers players do find themselves dinged up and/or on injured reserve, such as safeties George Odum and Talanoa Hufanga, which prompted the Niners to go out and sign veteran defensive back Logan Ryan.
Tight end Ross Dwelley is also dealing with a high-ankle sprain, and his pending absence opens the door for the first news and rumor bit to look at.
Will San Francisco go after veteran free-agent tight end Zach Ertz?
49ers rumored to be in on Zach Ertz despite contradictory comments from Kyle Shanahan
Ertz came up in a post-Week 13 press conference with Shanahan after the coach told reporters that Dwelley would be out for some time.
Shanahan didn't wholly rule it out, but his comments pointed at the 49ers being "good with our group" and not necessarily going after Ertz, who'd be an upgrade over Dwelley as the primary option to support No. 1 tight end George Kittle.
On Wednesday, The Athletic's Matt Barrows offered a report that contradicts what Shanahan said, and it appears as if the Niners would be interested in the 33-year-old Ertz's services:
#49ers are believed to be one of the teams most interested in TE Zach Ertz, who may wait until next week to decide. SF theoretically could put TE Ross Dwelley (high-ankle sprain) on IR to make room. Imagine Shanahan is all for adding a veteran weapon with a SB ring to the roster
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) December 6, 2023
That is the kind of move a Super Bowl-contending team would consider making at this time of year, although the report either suggests Shanahan is a bad liar, changed his mind or that San Francisco is merely muddying the rumor mill to make things tougher for other teams potentially interested in the three-time Pro Bowler.
Until Ertz signs elsewhere, or joins the 49ers, speculation will rule the day.
In the meantime, the 49ers are rolling and FanDuel Sportsbook is giving you a $150 bonus if they beat the Seahawks! Just deposit at least $10 and bet $5 or more on San Francisco to win and you'll receive $150 in bonus bets if the 49ers get the victory. Sign up for FanDuel now!