The 49ers are in the middle of the roster squeeze, and the practice squad is where the next layer of the roster starts to take shape. San Francisco is cutting from 90 down to 53, and anyone who doesn’t survive that first wave still has a path to stick around in some form.
That matters because the practice squad is not just a stash spot. Those players can travel, take part in the week’s work, and help prepare the team for games without actually dressing on Sundays.
For the 49ers, that could be especially useful heading into Week 1 against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia, where San Francisco is a 3.5-point underdog at FanDuel Sportsbook. With Los Angeles listed as the designated home team and the usual 49ers fan takeover at Rams games off the table, the setup is a little different this time.
The squad itself can hold 17 players, including one International Pathway exemption, six veterans with no cap on experience, and 10 players who must be rookies or second-year players. Right now, all 17 spots are open, which gives the 49ers room to be selective. They can also protect four players from being poached by another team, and two players can be elevated for one week at a time before a longer stay on the active roster forces a one-year deal.
In practical terms, San Francisco wants a mix of developmental swings and emergency options. Some of these players may sit all year and learn. Others are there because the 49ers need someone who can step in when injuries hit.
Isaac Alarcon will take the International Player Pathway exemption after his release, according to Matt Maiocco, which keeps the 49ers at the full 17 practice-squad spots.
Maiocco also indicated that running back Khalil Herbert, wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge, and edge rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo would be on the plane to Australia on Wednesday. It’s still unclear whether those are handshake arrangements after release or whether they’re part of the initial 53-man group.
One name that surfaced as a possible fit is Adisa Isaac, whom the Ravens released. Isaac was a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but his early pro career has been interrupted by injuries.
A hamstring issue limited him to four games as a rookie after it lingered from training camp, then he dislocated his elbow in last August’s preseason. That elbow injury ended up costing him the 2025 season after surgery in November.
Even with the injury history, Isaac still looks like the kind of low-cost bet teams make on traits. He came into the league as a raw pass rusher with tools to work with. At around 247 pounds, he posted an 83rd-percentile broad jump, and his height, arm length, 40 time, and vertical jump all landed in the 60th percentile.
For the 49ers, the appeal is obvious. They could take a shot on a former third-rounder, develop him into a useful piece, and maybe get more out of him than what they’ve seen from Ogbo Okoronkwo. Isaac can help on special teams, and he’d fit better in Raheem Morris’s scheme because he can work from a two-point stance.
The depth chart at edge is thin behind Nick Bosa, Mykel Williams, Sam O, and Romello Height. Williams is unlikely to be healthy to open the season, which only sharpens the need for another body with real upside. Isaac brings power, coverage ability, and enough athletic traits to make the gamble worth considering.
In Other News...
49ers Final Cuts Put Several Bubble Players In A Tough Spot
As the 49ers moved toward the 53-man cutdown, the final roster math left a handful of bubble players in uncomfortable territory. The evaluation around Hobbs, Robinson, Luter and Dugger has been tied not just to their preseason work, but to the bigger picture of injuries, depth and how the team wants to sort out the back end of the roster.
Dugger stands out as one of the more intriguing names in the mix because of his background, versatility and the possibility that he could carve out a role at linebacker. For San Francisco, the question is less about whether these players have shown enough to stay in the conversation and more about whether there is enough room for all of them once the roster is trimmed and the depth chart is finalized. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Already Have A Trent Williams Successor Debate Brewing
The long view at left tackle is already coming into focus for the 49ers, and ESPN analyst Jordan Reid helped put a name to the conversation by sliding Stanfords Niki Prongos into his 2027 NFL Mock Draft as a possible successor to Trent Williams. Prongos is still very much a projection, but the intrigue is obvious for a team that has leaned on Williams for years and now has to think about how it eventually handles one of the most important spots on the line.
Reids take paints Prongos as the kind of raw, high-upside prospect NFL teams love to track early, with the size and athleticism that fit the position and the technique still needing polish before he can be viewed as a true first-round caliber player. For the 49ers, the appeal is less about the mock itself than the broader reality underneath it: Williams is getting older, and the next chapter at left tackle may already be taking shape just across the Bay in college football. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Face A George Kittle Decision They Can't Rush
George Kittle is back on the field in a limited way after the Achilles tear he suffered in January, and that alone gives the 49ers a welcome hint of progress as they inch toward the start of the season. Activated from the PUP list, he has taken part in practice, but only in a restricted capacity, leaving San Francisco to balance the obvious value of getting its top tight end moving again with the reality that recovery timelines do not always bend for opening week.
Kyle Shanahan has made it clear the team is not about to force the issue, even with a season opener in Australia against the Rams looming. Kittle still has not joined full team drills, and Shanahan has framed the situation alongside other injured 49ers such as Mykel Williams and Nick Bosa, a reminder that San Francisco is trying to protect more than one important piece as it sorts out who is truly ready for Week 1 and who still needs more time. [Read more 🡒]