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Just days after claiming Takk McKinley, the San Francisco 49ers are moving on from the defensive end after the pass rusher failed his physical, per The Athletic’s Matt Barrows. The team also announced Brandon Ayiuk, Trent Williams and Daniel Helm have been placed on the COVID-19 list.
San Francisco claimed McKinley after the defensive end failed his physical in Cincinnati with the hope that he would pass his exam with the Niners. McKinley has been dealing with a groin injury that appears to be the decisive factor in the two failed physicals.
“Hearing the 49ers are going to waive/failed physical DE Takk McKinley after examining him this week,” Barrows tweeted. “It means McKinley will go on waivers for a third time. Team not shutting the door on signing him when he’s healthy. Presumably, his groin injury remains problematic.”
Earlier in Week 11, Kyle Shanahan admitted the team had placed a claim for McKinley after he initially was released by the Falcons but missed out since the Bengals had a worse record. Prior to the team’s official claim, Shanahan noted that the team was still interested in McKinley.
“I was told today that Takk failed his physical and I know we put in a claim last time,” Shanahan said after his release from the Bengals, per USA Today. “So, I don’t think that’s until tomorrow at 1:00, but I know we plan on putting another claim in.”
McKinley Appeared to Force His Way Out of Atlanta
Given the number of injuries to their roster, the Niners were hopeful that McKinley could add some depth to the pass rush. McKinley has now been released by the Falcons, Bengals and 49ers within the span of a month. The pass rusher appeared to try to force his way out of Atlanta by posting details of prior trade offers the Falcons turned down.
“These @AtlantaFalcons turned down a 2nd round draft pick when I requested to get traded last year,” McKinley noted on Twitter less than a week before his release. “The same @AtlantaFalcons turned down a 5th and 6th round draft pick from multiple teams when I requested to get traded this year. I only have 17.5 career sacks. 🤡🤡🤡”
Shanahan Remains Optimistic About the Niners’ Playoff Chances
Many may be counting out the 49ers given the attrition that has taken place on their roster, but Shanahan still has confidence that his team can take a turn coming off their bye. Shanahan also revealed that the 49ers have not ruled out Jimmy Garoppolo making a return this season.
“If we can use this bye week to help us get healthier, we can come back and play a little bit better football from it because I do feel we’ve got the guys in our building, and some guys coming back,” Shanahan noted, per 49ersWebZone.com. “That does give us a chance in every game.”
It will be interesting to see if McKinley is able to find a landing spot once he is healthy. McKinley will become a free agent in the offseason, and the Niners are likely to be a team connected with the pass rusher if he does not find a new home.
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