It was nice knowing you, Quintez Cephus.
The San Francisco 49ers have been shorthanded at wide receiver over the first week of training camp, particularly with Brandon Aiyuk still recovering from last year's torn ACL and MCL and Ricky Pearsall sitting out the week while dealing with a hamstring issue. Same with fellow receiver Jacob Cowing, who isn't poised to return until preseason games start.
So, it made sense for the Niners to grab some camp bodies, signing two players to help fill the void: Cephus and Equanimeous St. Brown.
While St. Brown appears safe for now, Cephus' time was short-lived.
Mere days after inking a non-guaranteed one-year contract with San Francisco, the 6-foot-1 wideout was subsequently let go in another roster move to make room for veteran cornerback Eli Apple, who signed over the weekend.
News of the corresponding transaction was reported by ESPN's Nick Wagoner:
To make room for Apple on the roster, the Niners released WR Quintez Cephus. https://t.co/b2Yzroopdh
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) July 28, 2025
Apple was added in light of second-year corner Renardo Green going down with a camp injury. And while Green is also expected to return during the preseason, the 49ers nevertheless need healthy bodies to maintain effective practices.
So, Cephus had to pack his bags.
Related story: 49ers insider shares insight on how dire wide receiver situation is
Cephus hadn't played a regular-season game since he was a member of the Detroit Lions in 2022, spending the previous two seasons with the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans and, most recently, the Los Angeles Rams.
The former undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin is likely to continue on such a trajectory, bouncing around the league as a camp invitee and practice squad addition, filling in when needed on teams who lack depth at wide receiver.
Such was the situation for the Niners, who apparently only needed Cephus for a handful of days, no more.