The San Francisco 49ers had until 4 p.m. Eastern to cap their 2022 roster at 80 players max along with the rest of the NFL. And that includes making roster decisions that pertain to the health of some of their players.
One of the moves they made? Deciding to place a key defender and past Pro Bowler in a situation where he’ll miss some action with the 49ers — for up to four weeks only.
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Who Got on the PUP List
General manager John Lynch told the Bay Area media before the 49ers’ Tuesday, August 23 practice that cornerback Jason Verrett is going on the physically unable to perform list — better known as PUP.
David Lombardi of The Athletic elaborated on what this means for the 2015 Pro Bowler while with the San Diego Chargers: It means Verrett, who tore his ACL last season, can miss up to a month of football.
Jason Verrett will officially start the season on PUP, per John Lynch right now on the practice field. Will miss at least the first 4 weeks
The 49ers insider Lombardi added more context into the 31-year-old Verrett’s situation, saying how his time away from the sidelines will be shortened and how a move like this benefits the 49ers’ roster room.
“The PUP rules changed this season, which is why Jason Verrett will be eligible to return after 4 weeks and not 6. Plus they can save a roster spot now, a week earlier than before. That made the move an absolute no-brainer for the 49ers,” Lombardi shared.
Because of his season ending injury, Verrett was limited to just two games with one start last season. He mustered five tackles total — three solo stops and two assisted tackles. Since his arrival to the 49ers in 2019, Verrett has only started in 14 games while seeing action in 22 contests. The native of nearby Fairfield, California is now entering his fourth season in the Bay Area.
With Verrett on PUP, it means he’ll miss the following games: The September 11 road opener at Chicago, the home opener on September 18 versus Seattle, the Sunday Night Football contest on September 25 at Denver and the rematch of the NFC title game against the defending Super Bowl champs the Los Angeles Rams on October 3.
Another 49er Joined List on Roster Cutoff Day
Verrett isn’t the only 49er dealing with an ACL injury and getting placed on a certain list.
Sixth rounder from the 2022 NFL Draft Kalia Davis has been nursing the same type of ailment. The rookie out of Central Florida got placed on the NFI list, which stands for Non-Football Illness. Lombardi mentioned how both moves were expected by the 49ers.
The interior defensive lineman was bottled to five games last season due to his injury. The 49ers, though, went ahead and drafted the 6-foot-2, 310-pound who had “terrific snap quickness that creates early advantages” as noted by nfl.com draft expert Lance Zierlein.
49ers Release 3 to Hit 80-Man Mark
Along with Verrett and Davis, the 49ers announced that three players were among Tuesday’s roster changes with the franchise letting go of the following players:
Sam Schlueter: The 6-foot-6, 309-pounder took 47 preseason snaps total per Pro Football Focus. However, the tackle out of the University of Minnesota was limited to 12 plays in the preseason road win over the Vikings on Saturday, August 20.
Jeremiah Gemmel: The undrafted linebacker out of North Carolina was the only defender the Niners let go of. The 6-foot-1, 226-pounder played in just two snaps versus the Vikes and was given 10 plays total for the 49ers.
Tanner Hudson: The veteran tight end rounds out the players who were released. The 27-year-old saw an increase in playing time with 36 plays in Minnesota. He also caught a 5-yard touchdown pass in the preseason opener versus the Green Bay Packers.
#49ers QB Brock Purdy with the 5 yard TD strike to Tanner Hudson 🎯
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49ers to Be Without Pro Bowl Defender for 4 Weeks: Report