The San Francisco 49ers snuck past the Philadelphia Eagles in a hard-fought wild-card playoff battle, but all that has earned them is a difficult matchup against their NFC West foe, the Seattle Seahawks. While the Niners have already beaten the Seahawks once this year, doing so again in a raucous environment with their season on the line is going to be easier said than done.
All year long, the Niners have been shuffling their roster, thanks in large part to a slew of injuries they have constantly been dealing with. Once again, the front office has been shaking things up ahead of their clash with the Seahawks, and that surprisingly led to a promising wide receiver, Javon Baker, getting released from the practice squad.
49ers Release Javon Baker from Practice Squad
Baker was selected in the fourth-round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, with the hope being that he could immediately emerge as a contributor in their weak wide receiver corps last season. Instead, Baker struggled to make much of an impact, as he caught just one pass for 12 yards in his 11 games played.
With significantly more competition at wide receiver during training camp, Baker failed to make New England’s 53-man roster. While he could have returned to the team as a member of their practice squad, he opted to get a fresh start by latching on with the Niners’ practice squad instead.
Things didn’t go as anticipated for Baker, though. The second-year pass catcher didn’t suit up for a single game with San Fran this season, even though the team was hampered by injuries all year long. Now, Baker has found himself without a home in the NFL, as the 49ers released him from their practice squad ahead of their matchup with the Seahawks.
“The San Francisco 49ers today announced they have signed S Darrick Forrest and TE Hayden Rucci to the practice squad and released WR Javon Baker from the team’s practice squad. In addition, the team signed WR Colton Dowell to a Reserve/Future contract,” the team wrote on its official website.
49ers Aiming to Take Down Seahawks, Punch Ticket to NFC Championship Game
GettySan Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy
Baker should be able to land with another team at some point over the offseason, as he has a considerable amount of upside. It’s telling, though, that he wasn’t able to carve out a role for himself with the 49ers this season, despite the fact that they were beat up from the get-go. It’s fair to wonder if things would have played out differently for Baker had he opted to stick with the Pats.
Instead, Baker is back on the open market for the time being. San Francisco won’t let this move distract it from its primary goal, which is to find a way to beat Seattle for a second time this season so that it can advance to the NFC Championship Game. Kickoff for this contest is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Saturday night.
49ers Release Former Patriots 4th Round Pick WR Ahead of Seahawks Game