San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch spoke to reporters on Wednesday, the day after the team reduced its roster to 53 players. Here's everything they shared.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Head Coach Kyle Shanahan
Is WR Brandon Aiyuk practicing today?
"I hope so. I actually haven't gotten to see him today. Players got in late today. I've been doing the 53 and practice squad, kind of still working on it. But I hope so."
Is your expectation that he will be available to play Week One?
"I don't really have any expectation. That's what I'm hoping for."
When you say you hope so, does that mean he has told you that he is going to practice today?
"No."
Is there any reason to believe that today would be different than previous weeks?
"I don't know. I haven't heard anything. I've been working on the 53, the practice squad. I haven't talked to him. I know he's been cleared by our doctors. So, I hope that he is out there practicing today."
If he is going to practice today, what limitations do you want to put on him?
"We'll just have him go through individual, things like that. Start running routes with our quarterbacks. Probably won't let him go against guys."
Along those lines, what do you know about his conditioning at this point? What has he been able to do in that regard?
"I know what he's told me. I want to see it though. That's why we're safe when we pull guys back out there and that's why we'll ease him in."
Has he done any football related activities with any representative of the organization in the last month?
"No."
Did you have to make any adjustments on the 53, carry maybe an extra receiver because questions about whether he'll be available?
"Yes."
Has this reached a point where he could play on his fifth-year option without a revised contract?
"Just like I think I've said from the beginning, it's reached a point where all options could happen. And nothing has changed on that."
What do you think of WR Terrace Marshall Jr.? He once upon a time was the best wide receiver prospect in the country. Ran in the four threes. What do you guys see in him?
"Excited to get him here on our practice squad. We felt that way with him coming out. We really had him high on our list in college, and to give him the opportunity to come here on practice squad, get a chance to see him. Feel he can help our team out."
Since your doctors have said he's healthy, if he refuses to practice, would you discipline him?
"I'll deal with that when that happens, if that happens."
So just to clarify, if he practices, that's not any sign that anything's close one way or the other in terms of the contract extension?
"No."
After watching OL Isaac Alarcon in three preseason games and training camp, what would you say of him?
"I think he's going to help us out on our practice squad. I think he got a lot of playing time, which helped him get better. Being down on some guys, he got to play a lot more in these preseason games than [former 49ers OL] Alfredo [Gutierrez] did in the past and he took advantage of that. I think that'll allow him to help us more here on the practice squad."
Have you been in contact with T Trent Williams at all in recent days? And at what point does he need to show up in order to be able to play?
"That all depends on when we see him, how he looks, how he feels. I haven't talked to him for a number of days. But Trent will give every day, we'll let it be as close as possible. But we've just got to get with him, we have to see him. We have to talk to him. Very similar to how we were with [DL Nick] Bosa. There wasn't a day that we would put on the calendar that would be our last day. You hope it's every day that's already passed. So each day makes it harder and harder. But you don't really make that decision until you see someone and talk to them."
Is it more difficult for an offensive linemen? You talked earlier, at the beginning of the camp about how defensive lineman maybe was a little easier to miss camp and come in. But how difficult is it for an offensive lineman than that?
"I think all positions are difficult. I would say, in my opinion, and anyone can have a different opinion, I'd say D-Line is one of the easier ones. So, I would put that ahead of O-Line. But the only ones that I would say are truly easy would be kicker or punter."
You would have three offensive tackles on the roster once Trent rejoins. Is that enough? Would you like to have a fourth, either on the practice squad?
"Yeah, of course. You'd always want a fourth. Three is enough if no one ever gets hurt. But you usually don't plan on it that way and that's why the final 53 is never the final 53 and it's still pretty fluid right now.
Are OL Brandon Parker and OL Chris Hubbard possibilities to rejoin at some point?
"Yes, they are."
You sounded very optimistic about Trent, maybe a week ago. Do you still have the same level of optimism that he will sign?
"Yeah. I'm optimistic that things will work out with Trent. I'm not sitting here knowing what day it'll be. We're getting close to playing a game, so my mind is completely on preparing for a game without those guys. But yeah, I feel when two sides want to get a deal done, usually it happens."
You activated S Talanoa Hufanga yesterday. Can you just kind of lay out what the plan is for him over the coming weeks here?
"Yeah, it'll be good to get him in practice today. He will go out with an individual and stuff. We won't throw him in against anybody, but he'll be able to do all the drills and stuff on air with other players and coaches for the first time. And we'll probably do the same thing tomorrow and then evaluate next week. I think Tuesday is our first day, whether we want to get him in going against anyone."
Did RB Elijah Mitchell get another hamstring injury or is it aggravation? How tough is it to see him lose another season?
"It's terrible. I think all you guys know how I feel about Elijah, how our whole team does. Elijah's a stud. He's had some real unfortunate injuries that keep happening and he had a hamstring injury and it got worse. The doctor suggested he should have season-ending surgery. I don't know when he is doing that, but that's what he should do and he's going to do it. That was unfortunate to not have him for this year."
Did he reaggravate it on Monday?
"Yes."
You used the return from IR designation on DL Kalia Davis in roster cuts. Why not use both of them at that point?
"We will if we haven't already. I just don't think we've announced it yet. That's why I told [VP of football communications] Corry [Rush] to do this like two hours from now, but he wanted me to do it now. There's a lot of things fluid, so it's kind of hard to carry conversations about all that stuff. I'm just joking, Corry [laughter]."
When do you tell the backup quarterbacks what the order is going to be or is that going to be a week-to-week thing?
"Like I've said, I know we haven't told them. I feel very good about both of them. I think they're neck and neck. That hasn't changed. It's been that way for a while. Yeah, I wish it would in terms of, so it makes decisions easier on us. But when anything is like that, I won't make a decision until I have to and I don't think I have to for a little bit."
Will there be weeks where QB Joshua Dobbs runs the scout team or weeks where QB Brandon Allen runs it, depending on what style of quarterback you're going to face that week?
"Yeah, I think when you have guys who are, to me, skill level and giving us a chance to win are very similar, but the ways they do it are slightly different. So those are things that you always look into for the scout team. Those are things that you always look into how our game plan is or what we think we need to beat another team."
Did you get any calls about those guys trade-wise?
"No, we didn't."
How do you feel about the defensive end depth? It seems like you maybe could use another guy there.
"I like the guys that we have. I like the guys that'll be up. I've liked the depth throughout training camp. The guys we've gotten on practice squad I feel real good about. I think we've got enough in our building to win with and to be able to survive some stuff if we do have an injury."
Is OL Dominick Puni the starting right guard basically?
"Kind of got me on that because we haven't announced anything or told anybody anything, but it's going to be hard to take that from him. That's how he's been playing. That's how we've had the lineup in. We've got two practices before we go into next week and really solidify everything. But it would be hard to take that from him in these two practices."
Is RB Isaac Guerendo the kick returner probably and WR Jacob Cowing the punt returner?
"Well, Isaac tweaked his groin on Monday. We're hoping to have him back next week. But as you guys saw in the game he played, he's got a chance to do that. Same with Jake. I could say Jake is doing that right now, but we've got to make sure that Isaac's healthy for next week."
Did Puni surprise you?
"Anybody who comes in and gets that opportunity because of a couple injuries and kind of looks the part right away and kind of stays that way, that always does surprise me. It usually takes guys some time and stuff. We believed he could do it, but how quickly he's done it and how comfortable he has been in camp and these three preseason games is always a little surprising. But, never would've counted him out for that. That's why we like to say we drafted him. But it's been really a credit to him how ready he's been and hopefully that continues throughout the year."
Is OL Aaron Banks on track to be back for Week One?
"Yeah, Banks should be back on Tuesday."
President of Football Operations/General Manager John Lynch
There were some national reports or suggestions that WR Brandon Aiyuk was going to practice today. To your knowledge, is he going to be out there?
"We'll see. I think you'll see right with me. I know he's here today and that's the expectation."
When was the decision made and when was he examined to make, to see if his back?
"We don't get into those details. That's medical stuff. But, he has been cleared and we're ready to roll."
Is that the only dynamic that's changed here that would make him practice today?
"Yeah, in theory. Yeah."
If he does not practice, chooses not to, will he be fined?
"Then we'll deal with that."
You told us you're impatient and this thing has really dragged on. Is this just driving you crazy?
"Yeah. Fortunately there's 90 players here, there's pre-season games, there's the work of getting better and that goes into putting a team together. But no question about it. When you've got some of your better players, two of them in particular that aren't out there, and that's your job, you take a lot of pride in that. I think, one thing, we've got a lot of really good players and we've rewarded a lot of good players and that makes things tougher at times. I remain optimistic. We'll find a way to put the best squad out there and I'm really happy with where this team is at and what we do have to offer. The players out here that have been here are working really hard. We've got a lot of love for the two guys that aren't and we'll continue to work on that to try to bring that to a resolution."
Is there anything new with the T Trent Williams situation?
"No, there's no updates there. There's good communication. We're constantly working, throwing out ideas to try to have a breakthrough and it just hasn't happened yet."
Is there good communication between you and Brandon?
"Yeah, there's communication and it's been ongoing with Brandon, with his representative. On that one as well, we just haven't been able to break through."
I asked head coach Kyle Shanahan a couple weeks ago, with this team as close to a Super Bowl as you obviously were last year, can you say this franchise is putting up enough money or financial commitment to make sure you have the best chance this year?
"First of all, Tim, I don't think you can ever make an assumption that you're ready for a Super Bowl. You've got to earn that every year. Nothing is given in this league. We have a very talented team. We have a very proven team that's won a lot of games. But this is a new team. We like our team. We feel like we've improved. And yeah, this team has never fallen short on resources. Since we've been here we've been one of the top spenders in the league and I think there's reason for that. We've got a lot of good players. Our talent acquisition has worked, whether it be through the Draft, whether it be through trade. And as a result we've had a lot of top players in the league at their respective positions. So that's a good thing. But it does make things tougher. Those are our challenges. Those are the things we have to deal with."
Going back to Trent Williams, has he threatened to retire at any point in this?
"I'm not getting into, I've always said that personal conversations and things like that aren't ever going to get told to everyone. Those are private conversations. So, I won't get into private conversations that Trent and I, and Trent and our organization have had."
Given your friendship, relationship with Brandon's agent, has that changed the dynamic at all? Have you had to step aside at all through this?
"No. You never know how that's going to play out. [Athletes First agent] Ryan [Williams] was my marketing guy for a bunch of years. A lot of people say, 'He's your agent.' Well, my last couple deals I've done with [CEO] Jed [York] directly, that's how I've handled my business. That's worked well for me. There is a friendship there. But, I've got a lot of friendships in this league with agents that have developed over time."
It seems like you saw this standoff with Brandon Aiyuk coming a few months ago. Did the Trent Williams situation surprise you?
"I don't know that I saw the standoff with Brandon. I saw a situation that we were going to have to deal with and man, we've been trying for a long time. We don't get paid to try. We get paid to do. And I'll take accountability for anything that hasn't happened. But I won't stop continuing to fight to find the best resolution, whatever that may be. The Trent situation, things come up. And this has come up. Trent is a fantastic player. He's a tremendous leader on this team. I will never fall short on my praise of Trent and what he's meant to this place. It was a great day, when I got that call from [former NFL head coach Ron] Rivera saying that they would do that trade. He's been incredible since he's been here. We value Trent, we love Trent, we want Trent here. And I'm hopeful that can happen soon."
With Brandon, has it gotten to a point where you're waiting to see if he'll practice today. It sounds like he could be disciplined if he doesn't start practicing. It doesn't sound great. Are you disappointed that it's kind of got to this level?
"Yeah, sure. But I've seen these things look dire before and they can quickly turn. So that gives you hope, that we've been in these situations before and those things can quickly be forgotten. We will remain hopeful."
Was it communicated to Brandon's camp at any point, say in the last few weeks, that he would be expected to practice starting today?
"I'm not going to get into our communication, again. But at some point, you have to play."
Is the addition of WR Terrace Marshall Jr. in any way Aiyuk insurance? They play kind of boundary X receiver spots.
"That's just a good football player we were very fortunate to get in the building. I don't know what went on in Carolina. I know that I got on the phone with Terrace, along with [wide receivers coach] Leonard Hankerson and Kyle and just told him about the way we do things, what we thought of him coming out of college and that this could be a great landing spot for him. He's going to have to earn everything, but it's a fun place for receivers to come and thrive. Whatever your best is, I think you'll find it here. We're excited for that opportunity, excited for our practice squad. It's tough to lose players. [Los Angeles Rams RB Cody] Schrader, man I love that kid and everything he represented, the way he attacked it. [Indianapolis Colts CB] Sammy Womack [III] had a really good offseason, was proud of him. I think we're deeper than we've been at corner. And so, those are tough decisions that you have to make. One more, [Carolina Panthers OL] Jarrett Kingston. Jarrett was doing some really good things. You can't keep everyone. Really proud of this rookie draft class. There's been some injuries, but I think we're getting healthy and we've got the right type of people, the right type of players, that are fits here. They're going to help us a lot. So a lot to be happy with, with our roster. We'll continue to work to get it complete and can't wait for Levi's to be rocking here. And what are we, 10 days out, nine days out? It's coming."
At tight end, it seemed like when you drafted TE Cameron Latu last year, you knew that he might be a bit of a project. Did that go more slowly than you expected? Why cut ties with him two years in?
"Cam did a great job. Had two knee surgeries in his time here. But, couldn't have asked for anything more in terms of his work ethic. I think we just kind of, you fall into some good players. [TE Eric] Saubert is a guy that we went out and got in free agency, really has been a nice find for us both at tight end and at special teams. [TE] Jake Tonges has been really, I'd say, a surprise and played really well. [TE] Brayden Willis was a tough cut, but he's back on our practice squad. I think there was just tough competition. Cam can do a lot of good things. I saw he landed on, I believe, Cleveland's practice squad. I'm excited for him and his opportunities. The thing everyone liked about Cam coming in is he could do a little bit of everything. And it takes, I always tell players, it took me until my third year to start in this league, and things went pretty well. It happens at different times for different players. You want to be able to hold on, but when you've got a roster, sometimes you have to make tough decisions. And that was certainly a tough one, because Cam gave us everything he had."
I don't think we've seen the final 53-man moves yet today. Are you still planning on keeping TE Logan Thomas around that room?
"We'll see. Logan is a guy that, unfortunately, had a hamstring injury during camp. We like what Logan brings to the table and we're in contact with him. We'll see what breaks. There's still a couple more final practice squad spots."
Earlier today on KNBR, former NFL S Donte Whitner said that tonight he's going to watch film with S Malik Mustapha and try to get him ready for Week One. You're a Hall-of-Fame safety, would you watch film with Mustapha? Can you help bring him along? He's a talented guy.
"He's doing alright. It's always awesome when you think you see something on film and then you see it in person and it's even better. Kyle talks a lot about something that I tried to live in my career, you want to play with no hesitation. And when Malik sees something, he goes and gets it, and he can go get it in a hurry. And it's not perfect yet. It shouldn't be perfect, he's a rookie. But man, he's been impressive. He's going to make an impact on this team. I think we can all see that. He plays fast, he plays physical. He's a Niner and we're really excited about what's to come. And he's got a long way to go, Malik knows that. But he's a worker. [Defensive backs coach] Danny Bullocks is doing a really good job. Love that guys like Donte are around. Malik is a historian too. [Pro Football Hall of Famer] Ronnie [Lott] was over here a couple weeks ago and man, he was like a kid in a candy store, seeing Ronnie Lott. Some of the guys embarrassingly enough, didn't know who he was. Malik sure knew who he was."
Have you made roster moves today to the 53-man?
"Nothing today."
How fulfilling is it to see OL Dominick Puni? I tlooks like Kyle basically said he's the starting right guard.
"I'll leave that to Kyle. But he's been really good."
WR Jacob Cowing and RB Isaac Guerendo is a little banged up, but to see this Draft class kind of produce immediately. What's that been like?
"We thought we really hit on this Draft class, and that remains to be. I always tell people ask me a couple years down the line. [WR] Ricky's [Pearsall] going to be a really good football player. He's had some health challenges. Ricky's a good player. Puni, the way he stepped in. [CB] Rernardo Green, he's everything we thought he would be. He gets up, he competes, he's sticky. Puni stepping right in. What we loved about Puni was his versatility. He played a lot of different spots, played a lot of football. Man, that's a guy that I'd be lying if I haven't said he's better than what I even thought he might be. Our style, the way we get out and run, it takes a little time, but he just took to it. He's still got a lot more in the tank. So he's doing a really good job. Our three fourth-rounders, Guerendo, Mustapha, and Cowing, all of them explosive, bring speed. They're playmakers. So these guys are all doing really well. We're proud of this group, but they've got a long way to go."
With Kingston and obviously not being able to keep him on that 53-man roster, was that a numbers issue up front or were you guys more focused on keeping experienced linemen?
"We wanted to. We ran out of numbers. You play the waiting game and think maybe we can sneak them through. It didn't work. So those ones hurt."
Along those lines, how relieved were you that you were able to bring back OL Drake Nugent, the center?
"Drake's doing a really nice job. He is showing that it's not too big for him. At this level, center's a tough position because there's a lot mentally put on him. Drake's done a really nice job there. He will be on our practice squad, have every opportunity to get better. But we're happy to have him in the building."
Was there a trepidation to expose QB Tanner Mordecai to waivers? How did that quarterback discussion go?
"Yeah, we feel like we have four really good ones. And unfortunately, or maybe a good thing for us, Tanner didn't get as many reps in the preseason as we would've liked for him to get because I think those two guys, [QB Joshua] Dobbs and [QB] Brandon [Allen] were fighting out that. So we wanted to let that play out. Tanner's a talented kid. We're happy that he's on our practice squad. We're excited to work with him."
Do you guys have a timeframe for when S Talanoa Hufanga would be capable of going and playing in a game?
"We're going to be judicious, going to be smart. He's done a fabulous job with his rehab and he's been doing everything he can to the side. Today's a big step, get him back at practice. I think Kyle said earlier, we'll get him through individual, won't throw too much. You kind of like to phase that in. Will he be ready Week One? Not sure. I think it's going to be tight, but I think it's telling that we made the decision not to keep him on PUP, bring him off and we expect him somewhere early in the season. So, real proud of Huff and his progress. He makes us a better team, so be great to have him."
You guys kept OL Jon Feliciano on the roster. Kyle said, I think it was last week, that he's dealing with some injuries, that it might be a couple weeks that he might be IR designated. What went into the decision to put him on the 53?
"Well, when you do that IR to return, you have to put him on for a day. So that's what we did with Jon. We'll have that opportunity to bring him back at some point."
