The San Francisco 49ers have announced the following roster moves ahead of their NFC West battle with the Arizona Cardinals:
- Elevated WR/PR Trent Taylor from the practice squad
- Elevated DT T.Y. McGill from the practice squad
- Activated DT Kalia Davis from IR (injured reserve)
- Placed DL Yetur Gross-Matos on IR
Taylor is being elevated due to a shoulder injury suffered by rookie WR Jacob Cowing. With the injury to Cowing, there's a good chance Taylor will be the team's punt returner on Sunday. In Taylor's six seasons in the NFL, he has averaged 9.4 yards per return. This is Taylor's first elevation of the season.
McGill is being elevated for the first time this season, as well. Last week, the 49ers elevated rookie DT Evan Anderson to help the 49ers depleted defensive line. This week, McGill gets the call. In his nine NFL seasons, McGill has five and a half career sacks, 24 QB hits, and one safety.
Davis has been on IR since August 27 after undergoing knee surgery on August 10. He had his practice window opened on Wednesday. The third-year defensive tackle has appeared in only three games with the 49ers, mostly due to injuries. Davis has one career sack, coming in 2023, but will mostly be needed to stop the Cardinals' rushing attack.
As one defensive lineman (Davis) returns from IR, another one (Gross-Matos) goes on IR. Gross-Matos suffered a knee injury and has not practiced all week. He will miss a minimum of four games and will be eligible to return after the bye week.
The fifth-year player signed with the 49ers in the offseason as a free agent. He has appeared in three games for San Francisco this season but has only one tackle and one QB hit. Numbers alone don't tell the entire story. Gross-Matos was playing well, and his loss will be big for the 49ers, especially considering the other injuries along the defensive line, including losing starting DT Javon Hargrave.
The 49ers now have seven players on IR, two on PUP (physically unable to perform), and one, WR Ricky Pearsall, on NFI (non-football injury). San Francisco is 0-1 in division play. But they play the Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks in back-to-back weeks. The Seahawks are currently in first place by one game, but a couple of wins by the 49ers can move them into a tie for first place.