San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers announced that they have released defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche, who signed with the team on a one-year deal on July 26.

The 27-year-old played his first three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, who selected the Ole Miss star with the No. 29 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft.

He also played with the Miami Dolphins (2019) and Seattle Seahawks (2021) before landing with the 49ers.

Some 49ers beat reporters and writers gave more context into the Nkemdiche release.

#49ers announce they've released DT Robert Nkemdiche.

Was working towards a potential roster spot early in camp, but several others started playing both on the edge and the inside, losing him reps. Loud voice for sure.

Now, the 49ers are at 85 on the roster.#49wz

— Rohan Chakravarthi (@RohanChakrav) August 16, 2022

The fifth player the 49ers cut to reach the 85-man limit: DT Robert Nkemdiche.

— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) August 16, 2022

So the 49ers' first round of roster cuts is finished. It looks like this:

Darqueze Dennard, Robert Nkemdiche, Josh Hokit, KeeSean Johnson, Tomasi Laulile

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) August 16, 2022

https://twitter.com/dieter/status/1559631839207124993

Kyle Shanahan yelled at Nkemdiche twice during the first week of camp for taking his teammates to the ground on a tackle. That sealed his fate. https://t.co/SfUWhbAP6R

— Kyle Posey (@KP_Show) August 16, 2022

Robert Nkemdiche’s time with the 49ers may have been short lived, but his impact with the team was clearly felt

Nkemdiche brought a ton of energy to the building everyday, and regularly went out of his way to interact and engage with fans throughout training camp

— Jordan Elliott (@splash_cousin) August 16, 2022

Nkemdiche's best season occurred in 2018 when he amassed 32 tackles, seven quarterback hits and 4.5 sacks in 10 games (six starts).

Unfortunately, the ex-Ole Miss defensive tackle suffered a season-ending torn ACL on Dec. 9, 2018 against the Detroit Lions. He never played another down for the Cardinals after they declined his fifth-year option in May 2019 and waived him two months later following a failed physical designation.

Nkemdiche signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins for the 2019 season. He started the year on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and played just two games that season before the Dolphins waived him on Nov. 5. The NFL also suspended Nkemdiche two weeks on Nov. 13 for an undisclosed reason.

He caught on with the Seahawks in 2021 on a one-year deal, playing nine games and amassing 15 tackles.

Before his NFL tenure, Nkemdiche starred at Ole Miss, earning first-team All-SEC honors and second-team All-American honors in 2015. He ultimately played three seasons with the Rebels after earning consensus No. 1 overall recruit honors in the class of 2013.

The New York Jets are reportedly not planning to pursue a trade for Jimmy Garoppolo despite Zach Wilson's uncertain Week 1 status.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the Jets have "confidence" veteran Joe Flacco can fill the void until Wilson is ready. Wilson underwent successful surgery Tuesday to repair a meniscus tear in his knee and has no timetable to return.

Rapoport noted the team has no plans on bringing Wilson back until he is 100 percent healthy. The Jets open their regular season Sept. 11 against the Baltimore Ravens, giving him a little more than three weeks of recovery time.

The San Francisco 49ers have been exploring the trade market throughout the offseason but have found no offers to their liking. Garoppolo's market was limited for much of the offseason quarterback shuffling amid shoulder surgery in March. He is fully cleared to practice but has been working off to the side at 49ers camp amid the trade rumors.

The Jets stood out as a potential fit when Wilson went down because of Garoppolo's link to head coach Robert Saleh, who was the defensive coordinator in San Francisco from 2017 to 2020. Saleh also brought over several assistant coaches from the 49ers, including offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, who was the passing game coordinator in San Francisco for Garoppolo.

A scenario where Garoppolo remains in San Francisco as a backup behind Trey Lance is possible but seems untenable. Teammates have raved about Garoppolo's leadership and professionalism throughout his tenure with the franchise. All it would take is a slow start from Lance, and the calls for the 49ers to make a switch would be loud.

The 49ers need to find a way to cut bait before Week 1, even if they have to outright release Garoppolo. If that scenario comes to pass, perhaps the Jets revisit the idea of bringing him in.

For now, it's all Flacco all the time.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is keeping the pressure off Trey Lance as the young quarterback enters his first season as a full-time starter.

"I believe in him as a man, as a person. I believe in his talent," Shanahan said, per Peter King of NBC Sports. "I don't think he is going to make or break our season, just like in 2019 and last year, I didn't think Jimmy was going to make or break our season."

Shanahan and the 49ers have found success in recent years even without elite quarterback play from Jimmy Garoppolo.

Garoppolo ranked 13th in the NFL with a 53.3 QBR last season, but it was enough for the 49ers to reach the NFC Championship Game. In 2019, the squad went 13-3 before reaching the Super Bowl even as Garoppolo ranked 12th with a 60.8 QBR.

San Francisco won four playoff games during that stretch, all with Garoppolo throwing for fewer than 200 passing yards in any of the wins.

It means the 49ers likely won't need much out of Lance, who is set to take over after being taken with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 draft. The 22-year-old made six appearances last year, including two starts, showcasing his upside with five passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.

The lack of game experience for Lance creates a risk heading into 2022, but the rest of the talent on the roster should keep San Francisco in contention.

Jimmy Garoppolo clearly isn't preparing to spend the 2022 season with the San Francisco 49ers.

According to Peter King of NBC Sports, the veteran quarterback doesn't even have a playbook. He also reportedly doesn't attend quarterback or team meetings and "barely knows new quarterbacks coach Brian Griese."

Garoppolo has a $24.20 million base salary in 2022 that would be guaranteed if he remains on the roster the week before the first game. Only $2 million of his $26.95 million cap hit would remain if he is traded or released, per Spotrac.

The 49ers have chosen not to cut him yet and reportedly believe they can still get a late-round draft pick in a trade, per Albert Breer of The MMQB.

As Breer noted, the 49ers are concerned that releasing Garoppolo would allow the NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks to pick him up.

Without meetings or a playbook, the quarterback at least won't have extra intel to spread to teams around the league.

In the meantime, the 30-year-old is working out away from his teammates.

"He's just trying to get his body ready for hopefully the next situation he goes into," head coach Kyle Shanahan said earlier this month.

Garoppolo has been a key part of the 49ers organization over the past five campaigns, making 45 regular-season starts. He helped the team reach the Super Bowl after the 2019 season and took the squad to the NFC Championship Game last year.

Despite the highlights, it's clear both sides are preparing for a fresh start in 2022 with San Francisco turning to 2021 third overall pick Trey Lance under center.

In his first game as starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, Trey Lance offered a tantalizing glimpse of what fans can expect during the regular season.

The No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL draft played the first two series against the Green Bay Packers at Levi's Stadium on Friday night. He led two scoring drives, including a 76-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Danny Gray.

Trey to Danny Gray ‼️

📺 #GBvsSF on KPIX pic.twitter.com/Z8hksxK08I

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 13, 2022

Really nice job by Lance getting that one out fairly quick in a collapsing pocket. Perfectly placed after he put a lil too much mustard on some early attempts, too.

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) August 13, 2022

Trey Lance connects with Danny Gray on a deep bomb down the left sideline for a 76 yard touchdown

That’s it, I’ve seen enough. Get the gold jacket ready, this young man is on his way to Canton

— Jordan Elliott (@splash_cousin) August 13, 2022

Perfect throw by Trey Lance there. Have a day, Danny Gray, by the way! Nice to see Trey get some air under the ball, too! Perfect way to end the night!

— Rob “Stats” Guerrera (@StatsOnFire) August 13, 2022

The touchdown was Lance's final play of the day, as he was replaced by Nate Sudfeld on San Francisco's next offensive possession. The 22-year-old finished 4-of-5 for 92 yards and a score through the air. He also had a seven-yard run on the team's first drive.

Trey Lance vs Packers:

⛏️ 4/5
⛏️ 92 Yards
⛏️ 1 TD
⛏️ 158.3 Perfect Passer Rating

(📸 @49ers) pic.twitter.com/Z0cn9q3fLh

— PFF (@PFF) August 13, 2022

Trey Lance clearly has improved significantly since last season.

— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) August 13, 2022

Trey Lance pic.twitter.com/85nTtsJMF1

— Niners Nation (@NinersNation) August 13, 2022

https://twitter.com/SadNinersFan_/status/1558256956552273923

Since 2019, the #49ers have the fewest pass attempts outside the numbers traveling 20-plus yards in the NFL (77). Again, the smallest of samples, but paired with what we've seen in practice, that is likely to change with Trey Lance at QB.

— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) August 13, 2022

Lance's lone incompletion was on an out route that was thrown too high and outside. Gray was able to corral the pass, but he couldn't get his feet down inbounds.

That was a truly tough throw on third down to Danny Gray, but in general Trey Lance has been inconsistent with any work to the sideline during training camp. He missed that one by a bit

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) August 13, 2022

Gray could also carve out a notable role in the offense this season. He was the Niners' third draft pick in 2022 (No. 105 overall). The SMU alum has 4.33 40-yard-dash speed and earned high marks for his ability to generate yards after the catch.

Playing in the same offense with Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle can make targets difficult to come by, but Gray's budding rapport with Lance could see him get on the field frequently.

The 49ers have been successful with Jimmy Garoppolo as their quarterback over the past three seasons. They had the best record in the NFC and reached the Super Bowl in 2019 but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the big game.

After a slow start last season, the 49ers won seven of their final nine games to claim a wild-card spot. They defeated the Dallas Cowboys and Packers in the playoffs, but their run came to an end with a loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game.

Despite some uncertainty at the start of the offseason, head coach Kyle Shanahan finally declared the 49ers as Lance's team when training camp opened in July.

There will likely be some bumps in the road along the way with Lance, who had just one full year of starting experience in college at North Dakota State in 2019. But his arm strength and running talent can open up new roads for Shanahan to explore with this offense.

San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell is dealing with a hamstring injury that will likely prevent him from taking the field during the preseason, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

However, Mitchell is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season when the Niners take on the Chicago Bears on Sept. 11 at Soldier Field.

Mitchell is coming off an impressive rookie season in which he rushed for 963 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games. He also caught 19 passes for 137 yards and one score.

However, the 2021 sixth-round pick was in and out of the lineup while nursing a combination of knee, shoulder, head and rib injuries, in addition to a fractured finger. He did not participate in drills during OTAs in order to heal.

Mitchell returned to drills about two weeks ago, and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that the team would ease him back into things.

"He has looked good," Shanahan said. "He had a tough offseason just going back from injuries. He didn't get to do much in OTAs. It was great to get him out there these first three days. He is easing his way back into it. Just glad he's getting back to health."

If Mitchell is unable to play come Week 1, San Francisco has a number of talented running backs to turn to in Jeff Wilson, Trey Sermon, Tyrion Davis-Price and JaMycal Hasty.

Like Mitchell, Sermon was a rookie in 2021. The 49ers selected him in the third round out of Ohio State. However, he appeared in just nine games because of injury, rushing for only 167 yards and one touchdown.

Wilson, meanwhile, has been in San Francisco since 2018. He appeared in nine contests last season, rushing for 294 yards and two touchdowns.

Davis-Price was selected by the 49ers in the third round of the 2022 draft out of LSU. He rushed for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games with the Tigers during his 2021 junior season.

While losing Mitchell for any amount of time wouldn't be ideal, the Niners do have a plethora of options at the position.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo reportedly didn't talk to the team for "weeks and weeks" after inking a five-year, $137.5 million contract extension with the 49ers in Feb. 2018.

"Once he left that press conference, nobody heard from him for weeks and weeks," a member of that 49ers coaching staff told Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle.

"He didn’t return calls, he didn’t return texts—he basically just vanished. And we were looking at each other going, ‘What just happened?'"

The 49ers added Garoppolo from the New England Patriots via trade in the middle of the 2017 season. He started the 49ers' final five games and led the team to a 5-0 record during that stretch.

After the season, Garoppolo inked the long-term deal to become San Francisco's franchise quarterback.

Garoppolo helped lead the 49ers to the 2019 NFC title and the 2021 NFC Championship Game. Unfortunately, injuries have prevented him from reaching his full potential with the 49ers. He sat nearly all of 2018 (torn ACL) and 2020 (high ankle sprain), playing just nine total games in those years.

The 49ers have ultimately decided to place their future in the hands of quarterback Trey Lance, who they landed with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

Lance will be QB1 this year after sitting behind Jimmy G last season, when the 49ers reached the NFC Championship Game.

Garoppolo has one year left on his contract before becoming a free agent after this season. The 49ers have Garoppolo's agents permission to seek a trade, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, but nothing has materialized.

With training camps winding down and the regular season set to begin in one month, it appears Garoppolo may open the season as the 49ers' backup barring a late preseason development.

Now Trey Lance is the face of the franchise, he and the 49ers will open the season on Sept. 11 against the Chicago Bears. Lance got extended playing time in six games last year (starting two) in relief of an injured Garoppolo.

For the season, he completed 41-of-71 passes for five touchdowns (two interceptions) and 603 yards. He rushed for 168 yards and one score.