HEADLINES

Blake Costanzo

49ers Roster Moves, Martin Update

August 25th, 2014 at 9:06pm CST by Rory Parks

Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that 49ers rookie center Marcus Martin is expected to miss eight weeks of the regular season with a kneecap injury.

Also, Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News writes that the 49ers have trimmed their roster to 75 players after making the following series of moves:

Waived

Released

Released off Injured Reserve

Reserve/PUP List

Reserve/Non-Football Injury (NFI) List

  • RB Marcus Lattimore
  • FB Trey Millard
  • CB Keith Reaser
  • G Brandon Thomas

The players on the PUP and NFI lists are eligible to return to practice after the first six weeks of the regular season or otherwise be placed on a season-ending reserve list. That means, of course, that Bowman and Lattimore will officially miss the first six weeks of the season.

As Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee tweets, all seven players that were waived are eligible to be placed on the team’s practice squad.

 

 

Minor Moves: Wednesday

August 13th, 2014 at 4:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Wednesday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • In order to make room for incoming defensive tackle Jerel Worthy, the Patriots will waive tight end Terrence Miller with an injured designation, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • The Cowboys are expected to sign tight end Asa Watson, who was recently cut by the Patriots, but Dallas will still have to clear a roster spot on the 90-man roster, tweets Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com.

Earlier updates:

  • After signing with the 49ers as a free agent this offseason, linebacker and special teams contributor Blake Costanzo has been placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, the team announced in a press release. San Francisco signed linebacker Kion Wilson to replace Costanzo, who didn’t have to pass through waivers before hitting IR since he has more than four years of NFL experience.
  • The Saints have signed former Giants tight end Travis Beckum to a one-year deal, a source told Ramon Antonio Vargas and Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate today. A third-round draft choice in 2009, Beckum has not played since suffering a knee injury in New York’s Super Bowl win after the 2011 season. He was on injured reserve for the duration of 2012 and out of the league in 2013.
  • Using the open roster spot they created after shuffling various running backs in and out earlier in the week, the Texans have added cornerback Junior Mertile to their roster, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (Twitter link). An ex-Giant, Mertile has been a free agent since he was cut by New York in May, though he auditioned for the Jags in the interim.
  • Running back Stephen Houston has signed with the Steelers, according to the team’s PR man Burt Lauten (Twitter link). The former Indiana rusher got a partially guaranteed contract from the Patriots after the draft, but was waived by the team over the weekend.
  • According to John Oehser of Jaguars.com (via Twitter), the Jaguars have replaced one center with another, signing Antoine Caldwell and waiving Matt Stankiewitch, who sustained a wrist injury.

49ers Sign Blake Costanzo

June 3rd, 2014 at 2:09pm CST by Luke Adams

2:09pm: The 49ers have officially confirmed the signing of Costanzo, announcing in a press release that they’ve waived guard Al Netter to make room on the roster for the new addition.

9:49am: Free agent linebacker Blake Costanzo has agreed to terms with the 49ers, according to agent David Canter (via Twitter). Costanzo, who spent the last two seasons with the Bears, previously played in San Francisco during the 2011 season.

A seven-year veteran, Costanzo has primarily contributed on kick and punt coverage throughout his career. In 2013, he logged 11 special teams tackles for Chicago and recorded a +6.0 grade for the unit, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required). The 30-year-old played a similar role during his last run with the Niners, racking up 16 special teams tackles while not playing a single snap on defense.

While salary details haven’t yet been reported, I’d expect a minimum salary contract for the special teams ace. It’ll be a one-year contract, per Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter).