HEADLINES

Garrett Celek

49ers Place Garrett Celek On IR, Re-Sign Skov

December 8th, 2015 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Garrett Celek‘s season, and possibly his time with the 49ers, has come to an early end, with the team announcing today that it has placed him on injured reserve, ending his season. Taking Celek’s place on the 53-man roster is Shayne Skov, who was cut just three days ago and has now re-signed a new two-year contract with the Niners.

Celek, 27, established new career-highs across the board this season before he was sidelined by an ankle injury. The former undrafted free agent caught 19 balls for 186 yards and three touchdowns after not being a major part of the 49ers’ offense during his first three years with the team.

Having now played four seasons, Celek will be eligible for unrestricted free agency this winter, and could draw some interest from clubs besides the Niners after his solid showing in 2015.

As for Skov, he typically doesn’t see the field much for San Francisco, contributing almost exclusively on special teams. Barring injuries, he’ll likely continue in that role for the last few weeks of the 2015 season.

Injury Updates: Gronk, Pouncey, Carrington

November 30th, 2015 at 12:19pm CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of the Patriots‘ first loss last night, initial reports indicated that Rob Gronkowski‘s knee injury may not be as serious as it initially looked, and recent reports have continued to suggest as much. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), the New England tight end is unlikely to miss more than one game, and perhaps won’t even miss any time. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets that the club’s initial diagnosis is a “relatively minor non-ACL sprain.”

Still, the results of Gronkowski’s MRI aren’t in yet, so the Patriots won’t breathe easy until they get confirmation of their initial diagnosis. For now though, it looks like the club may have avoided a worst-case scenario for the star tight end, since his reaction to the hit on his knee had most of us expecting a season-ending injury.

Let’s round up a few more injury updates from across the NFL….

  • Another AFC East injury not as serious as initially feared? Mike Pouncey‘s foot ailment, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Rapoport tweets that the Dolphins center has a minor foot sprain, and that it’s not believed to be a Lisfranc injury. Still, the Dolphins are expected to search for help at center, per Salguero, who tweets that Samson Satele “should probably pick up the phone.”
  • The Bills didn’t get good news on defensive end Alex Carrington, who tore his quad tendon and is undergoing season-ending surgery today, according to Rapoport (Twitter link). It’s the latest blow to a Buffalo defensive line that was already missing Kyle Williams – who is out for the year – and Mario Williams on Sunday.
  • Rapoport also provides an update on Ben Roethlisberger, tweeting that, while the Steelers quarterback placed himself in the concussion protocol, he may not have suffered a concussion on Sunday, and could be cleared for Week 13.
  • 49ers tight end Garrett Celek is out indefinitely due to a high ankle sprain, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Celek, who has caught 19 balls for the team this year, went down with the injury in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Cardinals.

49ers Re-Sign Blaine Gabbert

March 12th, 2015 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

THURSDAY, 2:48pm: The 49ers have officially confirmed their new deal with Gabbert, along with the previously reported re-signing of tight end Garrett Celek.

TUESDAY, 10:19pm: It’s a two-year, $2MM deal for Gabbert, per Chris Mortensen of ESPN (Twitter link).

7:20pm: A year after acquiring him from the Jaguars for a sixth-round pick, the 49ers are re-signing backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). A source tells Anderson that Gabbert is “staying in San Francisco.”

Gabbert, a former 10th overall pick, served as Colin Kaepernick‘s primary backup last season, though he only saw the field in mop-up duty, since Kaepernick stayed healthy all year. The two signal-callers are currently the only two QBs on San Francisco’s roster, so it looks like the former Jaguar will have the inside track on the No. 2 job for 2015, though there could be another move coming for the Niners.

While we haven’t yet seen what Gabbert could do away from Jacksonville, his track record suggests that the 49ers would be in trouble if he saw any extended action in 2015. For his career, the 25-year-old has completed 53.2% of his passes and thrown more interceptions than touchdowns, en route to a 5-22 record as a starter.

Minor Moves: NFC West

March 6th, 2015 at 9:15pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The NFC West brought multiple headline-worthy news items Friday – the Seahawks’ extension of Marshawn Lynch and a possible contract restructuring for the Cardinals‘ Carson Palmer, for instance – but not every transaction includes household names. The Seahawks’ and Cardinals’ division rivals, the 49ers and Rams, proved as much Friday.

  • The 49ers signed long snapper Kyle Nelson to a four-year extension, according to ESPN’s Adam Caplan. Last season was Nelson’s first 16-game campaign. He has been a member of seven different organizations and has had three separate stints with the 49ers since entering the NFL in 2011.
  • San Francisco also agreed to a one-year deal with tight end Garrett Celek, per Caplan. Celek has been a backup to Vernon Davis, having caught just eight passes in three seasons.
  • Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweeted that the Rams tendered offers to two exclusive rights free agents, running back Chase Reynolds and offensive lineman Brandon Washington. As ERFAs with fewer than three years’ experience, the tender means that both players must either stay with the Rams or not play at all. Reynolds has made his hay in St. Louis as a special teamer, while Washington has appeared in just one game since his career began in 2012.

49ers Sign Phillip Tanner; Celek To IR

December 17th, 2014 at 12:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The 49ers have made a change to their 53-man roster, signing running back Phillip Tanner and placing tight end Garrett Celek on the injured reserve list to make room for Tanner, the team announced today in a press release.

Tanner recorded 149 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 56 carries during three years with the Cowboys, along with 93 receiving yards on nine catches. The Middle Tennessee State product, who also contributed on special teams in 2013, spent time with the Colts and Cowboys this summer, but was ultimately waived by Dallas during roster cutdowns at the end of the preseason.

Tanner caught on with the Bills for about a month when Buffalo’s backfield was decimated by injuries, but didn’t get any touches during his stint with the club. In San Francisco, the 26-year-old will provide depth in the backfield, with Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde both ailing, and could get an opportunity to play on special teams as well, with Kassim Osgood done for the year.

Celek, who spent most of the year on San Francisco’s PUP list, appeared in three games, and caught two balls for 53 yards. He’ll be eligible for restricted free agency this offseason.

49ers Announce Series Of Roster Moves

November 27th, 2014 at 3:11pm CST by Luke Adams

With tonight’s crucial divisional showdown against the Seahawks looming, the 49ers have made multiple changes to their 53-man roster, the team announced today in a press release. Tight end Garrett Celek has been activated from the physically unable to perform list, while tight end Asante Cleveland has been promoted to the active roster. To accommodate the additions, the club has waived linebacker Chase Thomas and placed tight end Derek Carrier on the injured reserve list.

Multiple injuries at the tight end position necessitated the Niners’ latest additions — besides Carrier, who had been sidelined with a foot injury and will now miss the rest of the season, tight end Vance McDonald is also banged up, dealing with a back ailment. Having been on the PUP list since August, it’s the first time Celek has been on the active roster this season, and the second game for Cleveland, who was briefly promoted in September before returning to the taxi squad.

As for Thomas, the 25-year-old was signed off the practice squad earlier this month and saw action in the Niners’ last three games. He looks like a candidate to return to the practice squad, assuming he clears waivers.

NFC West Notes: Seahawks, Bowman, Cards

November 18th, 2014 at 1:21pm CST by Luke Adams

In what’s been a busy day for NFL news so far – particularly for running backs around the league – let’s catch up on a few items from out of the NFC West….

  • Seahawks coach Pete Carroll confirmed that center Max Unger will likely miss three or four weeks with ankle and knee injuries, meaning the team will likely have to add a center to the mix to complement Patrick Lewis, as Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk details. Crabtree and Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times both cite former Seahawk Lemuel Jeanpierre as a probable free agent addition for the club.
  • Within Condotta’s article, he also passes along a tweet from defensive tackle Travian Robertson, who had been on the Falcons‘ practice squad. Robertson announced that he’s on his way to Seattle, a signal that the Seahawks will be signing him away from Atlanta.
  • 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman will begin practicing today, starting the clock on a three-week window during which the team will have to move him to the active roster. If he’s not made active in three weeks, Bowman will be ruled out for the season, and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio acknowledges that’s a possiblity, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
  • Tight end Garrett Celek, defensive tackle Kaleb Ramsey, and cornerback Keith Reaser will also begin practicing for the 49ers today, triggering their three-week countdowns, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • Cardinals reporters Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic and Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter links) agree that running back Ben Tate is an unlikely target for Arizona, even if he makes it through waivers unclaimed.

PUP, IR-DTR Players Soon Eligible To Practice

October 10th, 2014 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Week 6 of the NFL season will come to an end after Monday night’s game between the 49ers and Rams, and when teams begin preparing for Week 7, many of those clubs may be welcoming some players back to practice. Six weeks into the NFL season, players who were placed on the physically unable to perform list or the injured reserve list with the designation to return prior to Week 1’s games will be eligible to return to practice.

Of course, just because those players are able to return to the practice field doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be healthy enough to do so. Players on the PUP list have a five-week window to begin practicing. Once they return to practice, they have three weeks to be added to their respective teams’ active rosters. In other words, a player on the PUP list could theoretically return for his team’s Week 7 game, or could return as late as for his team’s Week 15 contest. If the player doesn’t return to practice or game action in time, he’ll revert to season-ending injured reserve.

Here are the players currently on the physically unable to perform list who can begin practicing as soon as next week:

Players who began the season on the PUP list didn’t participate in any preseason practices, but that’s not the case for players on the injured reserve list with the designation to return. Teams can use this spot on one player per season, placing him on the injured reserve list without necessarily ruling him out for the season. As we explained in an earlier post, players given this designation can begin practicing after six weeks and can return after eight weeks.

That means that players who were placed on IR-DTR prior to Week 1 can begin practicing next week. A player who was placed on IR-DTR after – for instance – Week 2 will have to wait another two weeks to return to practice.

Here’s the list of players currently on IR-DTR who can begin practicing as soon as next week:

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.

 

 

NFC Notes: Saints, Carr, Barr, Hyde

August 2nd, 2014 at 11:41am CST by Matt Feminis

Writing about the Saints, OverTheCap.com’s Jason Fitzgerald says, “On one end of the spectrum they do a pretty poor job with planning for tomorrow due to restructures, void years, etc… but on the other end of the spectrum they also find these really good bargains on players.” Fitzgerald references Marques Colston, Zach Strief and Junior Galette chief among those bargains, deeming Galette the team’s best contract. On the flip side of the coin, however, is Curtis Lofton. Fitzgerald says the veteran linebacker’s guaranteed money is out of whack, and his deal is “littered” with prohibitive roster bonuses and a potentially costly voidable year.

Read on for several more NFC news and notes:

  • Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr hasn’t joined the Cowboys for training camp yet because he’s been with his cancer-stricken mother, who passed away on Wednesday.
  • Another player who has been sidelined for training camp is 49ers tight end Garrett Celek. He missed four games last season because of a hamstring injury, and is dealing with a back injury right now. Division III product Derek Carrier stands to benefit, writes SFGate.com’s Eric Branch, as Carrier and Celek are the contenders for the third tight end job behind Vernon Davis and Vance McDonald. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman believes in Carrier’s ability: “He’s got a chance to be a productive player in this league. There’s no doubt. Derek’s got a nice feel for the passing game, he’s got good hands, and he can cover some ground now – he can really run. I don’t like to put timetables on people, but this a big year for him. He’s got a hell of an opportunity this year to really take a big step.”
  • Meanwhile, 49ers coaches are raving about the mental prowess of rookie runner Carlos Hyde, going so far as to call him savant-like, writes Matt Barrows in the Sacramento Bee.
  • Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer says there is a “strong” chance first-rounder Anthony Barr could start the season opener, reports Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune.
  • Bears rookie linebacker Christian Jones was one of the highest-profile undrafted free agents because he was key member of the national champion Florida State Seminoles, because he’s an impressive athlete who garnered second-round grades from draft evaluators and because he failed a drug test at the Combine. Not surprisingly, he’s made early waves in training camp for the linebacker-needy Bears, writes ESPN’s Michael C. Wright, who says it would be a surprise if Jones didn’t make the team: “The question now is whether Jones can maintain the momentum. Through the first seven practices, Jones appears to be one of the most athletic linebackers on the team, and probably the only true strongside linebacker at the position.”
  • ESPN’s Pat Yasinkas checks in on a handful of Buccaneers position battles, including the worrisome guard spots: “This one remains wide open. Jamon Meredith, Oniel Cousins, Patrick Omameh and Kadeem Edwards have been taking turns working with the first team and it doesn’t look like anyone has pulled ahead of the pack yet.”