Okay, so the cuts have been made, and there was one 5-out-of-10 surprise that really wasn't so surprising when you stop and think about it and a couple of 3s. No starters were cut. CB Shawntae Spencer, LB Parys Haralson, FB Moran Norris and WR Ted Ginn are all still 49ers. So for that matter are CBs Tarell Brown and Tramaine Brock.
No, the biggest name to hit the bricks is QB Josh McCown. But as my bud Eric Branch over at the Chronicle pointed out, there are two possible angles where to take that, and both can be equally true.
1) It was Colin Kaepernick's fault that McCown got cut because Kaepernick is even rawer than the pragmatic coaching staff figured he would be and they've come to the realization that they need a legitimate backup in case Alex Smith gets hurt or plays like Alex Smith-like on us. McCown is central casting for a no. 3, but giving him backup status might have been a reach.
2) McCown was never seriously in Harbaugh's plans and he was just a two week stopgap to get through camp. After all, he only got playing time in the final game, and just four pass attempts at that (all of which he completed, but I digress).
Where that leaves the 49ers is in search of a veteran. Guys like Brodie Croyle, John Parker Wilson, Kellen Clemens, Graham Harrell, Tony Pike and Dan Orlovsky were let go, but none of them have much experience. In fact, of all the guys let go, the one with most experience is... wait for it... Josh McCown. I suppose technically Jake Delhomme is out there, but do you really want to subject your fan base to that? I'm not sure what the plan is, at the moment. Maybe the front office has the sense that someone will be let go who hasn't been announced yet. There's always J.T. O'Sullivan... or maybe they can give Jeff Garcia a phone call. How old is he, 43?
Two other guys who were given their walking papers were C/G Tony Wragge and undrafted rookie TE Konrad Reuland.
I was stubborn about Wragge because of the foolish notion that he's actually better right now than the kid the team drafted to replace him, 5th-round pick Daniel Kilgore. But they already have Jonathan Goodwin and Adam Snyder to snap the ball, and Snyder will be the first one off the bench at any of the three interior spots. They're only gonna dress seven linemen for the games anyway, so I guess they didn't want to justify keeping Wragge on. The shame of it is back when Wragge first joined the 49ers in 2005, he wasn't any kind of NFL player. It's been a long road to mediocrity for him, but just last season he started to look like a serviceable pro, the kind of guy who won't get you killed if he had to play. That may not seem like glowing praise, but coming from the depths Wragge was at, believe me it is. He gets full marks for the work he's put in. I think he'll eventually get a look somewhere, but he might have to wait for some injuries to hit first.
Reuland's story is simply. It was assumed that the undrafted rookie from Stanford had the third tight end job wrapped up once Nate Byham tore his ACL early in camp, but after Reuland peaked in that second preseason game against Oakland where nearly everyone looked good, he regressed the next week against Houston and played sparingly at San Diego, trying to shake a leg injury. He's a pretty good receiver, but he doesn't have the speed or agility to shake too many people for RAC yards and his blocking left much to be desired. He's headed to the practice squad, precisely where we figured he would when Byham was healthy. Look for the Niners to sign a vet who can block such as Desmond Clark, who was cut by the Chicago Bears.
As for the guys who made it in their stead, there was DT Will Tukuafu, the least-impressive of that second unit that also featured Demarcus Dobbs and Ian Williams;6th-round pick Colin Jones, a safety from TCU who's strictly a special teamer at this point; and linebacker Keaton Kristick, who I thought was seriously hurt last Thursday when he was carted off, but it turned out he'll only miss 5-7 days. The 49ers have gone heavy at all three defensive levels -- seven linemen, nine linebackers, 11 defensive backs -- and expect those numbers to return to normal once the team signs another QB and a TE. I think of these three guys Tukuafu would be only who's in danger of being snatched up from waivers. Jones and Kristick could still be on the practice squad by Week 1 yet.
Speaking of the practice squad, the 49ers have apparently told four of their rookies that they'll be re-joining the team in that capacity should they make it through waivers. Reuland makes perfect sense. So does Miami CB Cory Nelms, who's had his moments in camp and in preseason. He should've had an interception the other night, but the ball doinked off his hands. Center Chase Beeler is a bit of a stretch because I didn't see anything in his play that suggested he's a keeper, but he is a Stanford guy and he did practice with Alex Smith and the fellas at San Jose State a couple months back. The real head-scratcher, however, is WR Joe Hastings from Washburn. I didn't think this guy would make it to the 80-man cut let alone a practice squad gig. If he ever played a snap of offense in presason, I missed it. He gets less practice reps than anyone who's surname doesn't begin with "Crab" and end with "tree." He doesn't look particularly fast or sure-handed, and he's the skinniest guy on the team outside of Andy Lee. In fact, if you didn't know him (and you had no reason to) you'd swear he was a camp leg. Literally the only thing I've ever noticed about Hastings is that he looks like a blond Michael Cera.
When his agent tweeted that Hastings was in line for a practice squad spot, I said to myself, "Who, him? What, is he funny or something?"*
No practice squad love, it seems, for my guy Chris Hogan. That ankle injury he suffered on Aug. 9 changed everything for him and you have to wonder if he'll ever get another shot anywhere. There are other guys who are candidates for practice squat spots, including:
RB Xavier Omon -- though I certainly think he's good enough to make some team.
WR Ronald Johnson -- he is, after all, a 6th-round pick.
T Derek Hall -- another Stanford guy, and I thought he was better than Beeler.
NT Sealver Siliga -- but not if Tukuafu has to move down here.
LB Alex Joseph -- same deal as Siliga, except with replace "Tukuafu" with "Kristick."
Also, the team could bring in another young QB to develop; someone like Wisconsin's Scott Tolzien, who I was surprised that got cut by San Diego after how well he played against the 49ers on Thursday; or Louisville's Adam Froman, who the 49ers were reportedly interested in signing after the draft. He picked the Atlanta Falcons instead and it didn't work out for him.
Two fellows who aren't practice eligible and who were shown the door were WR Dominique Zeigler and CB Phillip Adams. Both suffered gruesome late-season leg injuries last season -- Zeigler to his knee, Adams to his ankle -- and struggled to make it back in time to compete in camp. Ziegler was on the PUP list until Aug. 22, caught one pass in the third preseason game, and then was a ghost in the preseason finale. Adams was a full participant in camp after missing the first few initial practices, but he clearly wasn't right. He had his straight line speed, but he couldn't cut or change direction with any kind of smoothness at all. Picture a smaller version of Taylor Mays, but at cornerback. Not pretty, right? Adams was toasted a number of times on Thursday by no-name receivers, and the guy I saw last year was better than that.
I feel badly for both guys for a number of reasons. Like I said, neither have practice squad eligibility, and both of these men were among the most personable and professional on the whole team. They made our jobs easier and made themselves available and accountable. It just didn't work out for them, as it often doesn't in this business.
Not to blow smoke up their fannies, but I truly believe both are talented enough to play at this level. But they have to get fully healthy first and need someone else to give them an honest chance. Good luck to both.
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Full list of cuts:
1) CB Phillip Adams
2) C Chase Beeler
3) QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson
4) DT Brian Bulcke
5) FB Jack Corcoran
6) CB Phillip Davis
7) T Derek Hall
8) WR Joe Hastings
9) WR Chris Hogan
10)WR Ronald Johnson
11)LB Alex Joseph
12)TE Nate Lawrie
13)WR Lance Long
14)S Chris Maragos
15)QB Josh McCown
16)CB Cory Nelms
17)RB Xavier Omon
18)TE Konrad Reuland
19)LB Kenny Rowe
20)NT Sealver Siliga
21)LB Monte Simmons
22)FS Curtis Taylor
23)CB Anthony West
24)T Kenny Wiggins
25)G Tony Wragge
26)WR Dominique Zeigler
IR)TE Nate Byham (ACL)
IR)WR Dontavia Bogan (ACL)
IR)CB Curstis Holcomb (Achilles)
** That was for you "Arrested Development" fans out there.
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