The 49ers are about to get some help back, and that means a couple of roster spots are going to have to open up fast.
San Francisco has opened the practice window for defensive tackle C.J. West and cornerback Nate Hobbs.
Both could be back on the active roster as soon as this week, and if that doesn’t happen, the expectation is they’ll be called up the following week. That leaves the 49ers with a simple problem: who gets squeezed out?
At defensive tackle, Sebastian Valdez looks like the most obvious candidate if West returns. Valdez would likely be inactive once West is ready, and a move like that could send him back to the practice squad. Even so, he has shown flashes in limited action, and the team still needs his depth.
The cornerback situation is trickier, and it points away from a cornerback being the odd man out. The 49ers already cut Jack Jones, and he is back on the practice squad.
Renardo Green and Deommodore Lenoir are both banged up, Siran Neal is on the roster mostly for special teams, and Ephesians Prysock is the only outside cornerback depth behind them. That makes it hard to see San Francisco cutting a cornerback just to make room for Hobbs.
That’s why two other names stand out as more likely release candidates: Brandin Cooks and Khalil Kareem.
Cooks’ role has been shrinking. Jordan Watkins is producing more, Keenan Allen has been added, and Demarcus Robinson is healthy again after returning in Week 9.
Cooks was ahead of Jacob Cowing in the receiver pecking order, but Cowing has return duties. At his best, Cooks is the 49ers’ fourth receiver, and if one of Evans or Samuel can return to the lineup, he would have to be inactive in Week 10.
With both of them likely back soon, his place in the rotation is fading.
If West is not activated this week, Cooks might get one more week on the roster. But the move still feels like the one that should come next.
Kareem is the clearer cut when Hobbs is ready. He was inactive last week, and the 49ers only added him because the depth chart was thin.
Since then, Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams have returned, and with Romello Height and Keion White in the mix, that depth is no longer as necessary. He should also be easy to move back to the practice squad.
So the first name out when Hobbs returns should be Kareem. When West is healthy, Cooks looks like the next man to go.
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Purdy also added a little extra edge to the afternoon with a thumbs-down gesture he later framed as playful rivalry banter, the kind of small flash that can turn a comfortable win into a talking point. For San Francisco, the bigger picture is even more important now, with Dallas up next and the 49ers carrying both momentum and a defense that has been holding opponents in check while the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]