While the San Francisco 49ers finalized their initial 53-man roster ahead of Tuesday's deadline, it'll undoubtedly look different when they take the field in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks, and actually already does.
To the surprise of absolutely nobody, punter Thomas Morstead, who was officially cut on Tuesday, re-signed with the team on Wednesday and was placed on the 53-man roster after wide receiver Jacob Cowing was moved to injured reserve. Wideout Russell Gage is also back in the mix to fill the gap left by Cowing. The Niners also swapped out defensive linemen, waiving Evan Anderson after claiming Jordan Jefferson off waivers from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
San Francisco also got to work on Wednesday building its initial practice squad, officially announcing the signings of 13 players, with additional external help reportedly on the way as well.
Every NFL team is allowed 16 players on its practice squad, and the number rises to 17 if the franchise has someone included in the league's International Player Pathway program. But as the Niners do not have such a player, they'll be limited to 16 for the time being.
Full list of the San Francisco 49ers practice squad for the 2025 NFL season
Here's a look at the list of the 13 players the 49ers officially signed to the practice squad on Wednesday:
- Eli Apple, CB
- Junior Bergen, WR
- William Bradley-King, DL
- Derrick Canteen, DB
- Robbie Chosen, WR
- Trevis Gipson, DL
- Jalen Graham, LB
- Drake Nugent, OL
- Curtis Robinson, LB
- Malik Turner, WR
- Sebastian Valdez, DL
- Brayden Willis. TE
- Nick Zakelj, OL
The most interesting name here has to be cornerback Eli Apple. The 10th overall pick in the 2016 draft, Apple joined San Francisco on July 28 but was released just 10 days later on August 7. So, it'll be interesting to see how that plays out.
Veteran wide receiver Robbie Chosen also stands out, as many believed he might make the 53-man roster. Given the issues the Niners still have at the position, don't be surprised if he's elevated sooner rather than later.
Easily noticeable is the fact that there is no quarterback or running back on the list. However, it's been reported that 2024 UFL MVP Adrian Martinez will step in on the practice squad as San Francisco's QB3 behind Brock Purdy and Mac Jones. Martinez spent last season with the New York Jets and joined the team in training camp this year, but was released on August 24.
At running back, The Athletic's Vic Tafur has reported that the 49ers have come to terms with Sincere McCormick, who spent the last three seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders.
As such, the Niners have one spot left to fill, which should happen soon once the team does a little more manuevering with the 53-man roster.